Cage The Elephant - Tell Me I'm Pretty (Album Review)

Cage The Elephant are a five-piece garage rock band from Kentucky, USA. They have recently released a new album called 'Tell Me I'm Pretty' last week on the 18th of December 2015. The five-piece consists of; Matthew Shultz on lead vocals and guitar, Brad Shultz on rhythm guitar and keyboards, Daniel Tichenor on bass, Nick Bockrath on lead guitar and Jared Champion on the drums. The band are known for being very indie and abstract as lead vocalist, Matt is known for his eccentric stage presence as he can be seen cross-dressing at times and writhing around on stage.

The introductory song on the 10-track album is called 'Cry Baby'. A very dynamic beat starts the track off, soon accompanied by the vocals 27 seconds in. The drums noticeably stand out as the symbols are also used a lot to express the aggression that the band have towards this 'Cry Baby'. The following track is called 'Mess Around'  and strong guitar riffs introduce the song; shortly followed by the drums, then soon accompanied by the vocals. Due to the repetitiveness of the chorus it makes this track incredible catchy;

"No she don't mess around, no she don't mess around."

The insane guitars stand out the most within this track especially as they sharply close off the song. 'Sweetie Little Jean' enters with rhythmic drums which pause for the vocals to enter on;

"Sweetie little jean where did you go? Everyone's been searching high and low, and your mummy's worried sick.."

I think this song is about a mental illness as this woman is not herself therefore everybody is trying to sort her out and fix her but nothing is happening as it has taken over her as a person and she cannot revert back to her old self. 'Too Late To Say Goodbye' enters with a very melancholic tune which continues throughout, with the odd exception of a short climax, which soon reverts back to the original rhythm. 'Cold, Cold, Cold' has a very groovy and funky introduction which catches my attention straight away.

"Doctor - problems in my chest, my heart is cold as ice but is anybody scared?"

Again it has a catchy chorus which will get stuck in people's heads for days. The next track is called 'Trouble' and the introduction sounds very similar to the introduction of the well-known film 'Submarine (2010)' . This is due to the use of the keyboards being used more frequently within this track, compared to the other previous songs. The seventh track, 'How Are You True'  has a very melancholic atmosphere to it due to the slow strumming on guitar within the introduction and then when the vocals enter they flow with the rhythm of the guitar too. This track also sounds very similar to some of Peace's work due to the slow flowing vocals, however half way through the pace begins to pick up a bit due to the drums creating a more intense beat. 'That's Right' enters with a fast drumming beat quickly accompanied by all of the other instruments and the vocals;

"Let your hair down, lets unwind. Take your problems, leave them behind. You got your troubles and I got mine."

I like the contrast between this song and the previous track as it shows you that they have cleverly structured the album as you have a song that brings you down ('How Are You True') and then this track brings you back up again, as it is all about relieving your stress and forgetting about all of your worries. The second to last track on this album is called 'Punchin'Bag' and the eerie introduction fools you into thinking that it may be a ballad, until you hear the first punchy line.

"She's a stone cold brave-faced killer, and a lover"

The final track to cease off the album is called 'Portuguese Knife Fight'. The first line grabs your immediate attention with;

"I wanna waste my life, with you, oh yeah, well the look in your eyes says you're feeling the same way too."

Admittedly, the final track is my favorite song off the album as a whole; due to how the intensity of feelings are portrayed within the vocals as they are very abrupt and upfront.

In conclusion, the album as a whole was good. There is not any songs that I particularly dislike; the majority of songs I just simply think are OK therefore I do not really have an opinion on them. On the other hand, there are a few tracks that did stand out to me and they are; 'Cry Baby', 'Sweetie Little Jean', 'Cold, Cold, Cold', 'That's Right' and of course the closing track of the album - 'Portuguese Knife Fight'. Admittedly, I have not listened to any of Cage The Elephants previous work, however I was fairly impressed with this album and that is why I would recommend that you give it a listen if you have not already.

8/10

Some Kind Of Illness - Some Kind Of Illness (Album Review)

Some Kind Of Illness are an alternative indie rock band from Manchester. The Mancunian duo have been performing for over a decade, as they formed in 1999. The duo are brothers; Mark and Paul Hinks both on guitar and vocals. They released their debut album back in August 2015 and evidentially the name of the album is taken after the name of their band - 'Some Kind Of Illness'.

The first song on the 10-track album is called - 'The Test Of Time' it introduces the album with a gentle opening with a sound similar to the ring of wind chimes, however the pace does eventually pick up for a few seconds once its accompanied by the acoustic guitar; then the rest of the song delves back into that melancholic and slow atmosphere when the vocals accompany the instruments again. The second track is called 'Angel Breakdown'  and the introduction is a short speech in an American accent about kindness, and the short track closes with gentle strokes on the acoustic guitar.

"Kindness is a risk, and for some people it is just too big of a risk. They feel that if I'm kind to you, uh even though you've treated me a certain way, even though you've done me wrong..." 

In hope that the next song 'Stars' would pick me up, boy was I wrong! On the other hand, fortunately this song actually allows you to hear the brothers sing again. I am beginning to change my opinion on the genre in which they have put themselves in; personally, I would say that they are more folk than anything. The following song is called 'Maple Leaf ft. Daisy Davies' the introduction, yet again has a slow chime ring to it and it feels as if you have just entered one of those incense-smelling hippie shops. The song oddly has a little girl who speaks very quietly over the soft guitars and gloomy atmosphere and no lyrics are spoken nor sung off the brothers. The fifth track is called 'The Light' and of course the introduction is a slow strumming melody on the guitar, however this is a love song. I favor this song a lot more than the previous tracks that I have listened to, as I feel the pace has increased a bit more and has given the duo a steady beat to sing with, and it just flows a lot better than the other previous tracks.

'And Live' is the sixth track on the album, and speech accompanies the guitars again however it is only for a few seconds in and out - I am not sure whether I am meant to understand what the person is saying? If I am, that needs improvement, so that the person is talking over the guitars; if not, that is fine. Nothing is sung yet again and there is no dramatic action on the guitars which does not necessarily give me much to talk about. Moving forward, the following track has a bit of a groovy introduction for the first second or so, but after that the slow pace is constant. This track is called; 'You Have To Laugh' and I do not understand the title as it is not upbeat or cheery as people vision a song about laughing to be about. The following song is called; 'My Shadow In The Maze' and yet again, there is no variation.

"You've seen my world crash down, and my life flash by..."

The chime sound is back again on 'Rush To Wait' and no lyrics are sung. This is one of the most constant albums that I have ever had to listen to in my entire life, and it may as well just all be one long song for meditation. Finally; the last song to close off the album is called - 'Fool Man Runaway ft. Caoilfhionn Rose'  as predicted, a basic rhythm on the guitars are strummed, but surprisingly a few lyrics are sung.

In conclusion, for a band that have been together for over a decade my expectations were high and they failed to satisfy them. Every song was incredibly similar and there are a lot of improvements to be made. They need a paradox song where they introduce electric guitars or really increase the pace of their acoustic guitars, just something to keep you entertained and interested whilst listening to the album. As the pace is so slow, they do not allow any of their songs to expose their talents on the guitar nor their vocals. You cannot see the extent of their talent as the songs exploit so little of what they are capable of. I am sorry to say, but they have a lot of improvements to be made if they want to make it big any time soon.

The View - Ropewalk (Album Review)

The View are a four-piece indie rock band from Dundee, Scotland. The quartet have been performing for over a decade, and they consist of; lead vocalist- Kyle Falconer, Peter Reily on guitar, Kieran Webster on the bass and new drummer Steven Morrison who joined in 2010. Their most well-known single was their 2007 hit - 'Same Jeans'. Moving forward, The View release a new 10-track album quite recently on the 4th of September 2015, and they called it 'Ropewalk'.

The opening track of the album consists of rhythmic riffs and repetetive drums and it is called 'Under The Rug'. This commonly used phrase is often used when you're trying to avoid something or you're trying to avoid a problem.

"Tell me tomorrow, cus I'm not listening today."

The following track is called 'Marriage', it has a very dynamic intoduction and it is about a man who considers marriage to be a very miserable event within your life due to the woman constantly nit-picking at you.

"I would love to see you gone, I would love to see you somewhere that's not everywhere. Don't make my talents feel so strong, but you find a spanner in the works."

However towards the end of the song he realises that when you devote your love to somebody through marriage, you start to see more flaws in yourself than you see in them.

"You're so pretty; you don't have to keep your clothes on, so don't think of me as a prison - more like a fish tank with no water in."

The third track is called 'Living' and that has a very sharp intoduction with the vocals and drums. This is about the harsh reality of falling in love with a woman who is a single mother.

"20 to 8 his morning, I hear the baby yawning... She seems to care too much for takeaways n boozing, Angelinas missing out."

Then in the chorus he thinks that he will have to ditch his boozing antics if he wants to be with her. On the other hand, she thinks that she either has to choose between her daughter or the bloke. However, he comforts her by saying they both love her, and will do anything just for her love and affection.

"She's living just to be your love, I'm living just to be your love. We're living just to be your love."

'Talk About Two' is the fourth track on the album, and it's more of a slow melancholic song about nostalgia.

"Endless days roll by me, the sun swaggers by into the sea. Remember the time when the heavens, the heavens came crashing down."

With their catchy repetitive chorus, you can't resist the urge to sing along;

"Hold on darling, hold on darling."

This next track is a lot more indie compared to the previous tracks and it is one of my more favourable tracks off the album and it is called 'Psychotic'. This is evidently about a woman with a serious mental illness as you can tell by every line within the lyrics, however I think the specific illness that she has been diagnosed with is schizophrenia.

"Only time I'm lonely is when I'm with you, I wouldn't mind if it was just you, but there's two of you. It's never gonna get you, and that much is true. Never was your saviour, will never defeat you. "

To bring the vibe up a beat is the next track called 'Cracks'. Even though I'm not particularly keen on The Libertines, it does sound very similar to some of their work, but I like it. This upbeat track makes up for the two previous more sympathetic songs with its fast guitars, paceful drums and chirpy vocals. The next song is also very upbeat with similar drums and guitars, it is called 'Tenement Light'. 

'You tell me everything that's on your mind, I'll tell you everything is gonna be fine."

The song then closes with a faded finish on the drums. The eighth track of the album is called - 'House Of Queues' and interestingly the intoduction consists of a harmony on the first line of;

"And I would love.. To see you gone."

This track is a ballad, with its rhythmic drums and guitars and slow vocals which creates a really pleasurable melody. The chorus is also very catchy, similar to many of the tracks on the album and I've come to the conclusion that The View are an incredibly underrated band. My ultimate favourite track on this album is 'Penny' as it collides so many different genres together and it surprisingly works! A slow country verse, soon jumps into a hard rock chorus with crazy guitar riffs!

"And I don't mind you and all the things you do, so you shouldn't mind me and all the silly little things that I do."

The final track to cease the album is called 'Voodoo Doll' it has a very groovy intro on the guitar before the vocals collide, and as the song progresses, so does the speed. This will be the one that fans will go crazy for at gigs, arm and arm around eachother, jumping up and down, screaming the lyrics out like their lives depend on it - you can just picture it!

In conclusion I was ever so surprised with this album, as it is literally faultless! The only thing that I was expecting was a title track, however they didn't really need it. The album has just the right balance of moods and every track has a catchy chorus, however the songs that particularly stood out to me were; 'Under The Rug', Talk About Two', 'Psychotic', 'House Of Queues' and 'Penny'. I would 110% recommend that you give this album a listen if you haven't already. This album honestly made me realise what an underrated band The View are, I just wish that I had realised it earlier on. I shall definitely be going to see them when they next play at Stoke! Definitely worth a listen!

10/10

Justin Bieber - Purpose (Album Review)

Justin Bieber is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter, and at only 21 he is already a world-known phenomenon. However, even though he was successful in 2009 with hits like; 'One Time' and 'One Less Lonely Girl' and then in 2010 with hit single 'Baby', he was not very well-liked by the public eye. His target audience adapted to the scene of young fan-girls, very much like one-direction; as even though his tracks were catchy, there was not much depth to them. Furthermore in 2012, Bieber released his 'Believe' album which received a more positive response compared to his earlier work. This lead to his fan base moving out of the young obsessive girls, and into a wider audience - even lads began to admire him and his work! Admittedly, even I was a secret 'Belieber' when he released his 'Believe (Acoustic)' album. Then in 2013 he released another album called 'Journals', however that never became a big success... After having two years to master a new album, JB finally released it on the 13th of November 2015. This album has moved more towards house music rather than 'pop', therefore a lot of people listen to his new work because it's music that you can dance to; he is inevitably amongst a lot of people's guilty pleasures at the moment. Due to the movement in genre,  Biebs may have lost some of his younger fans, but that does not matter because he has gained a hell of a lot more older fans, and I think that was his intention when he made the decision of entering the house music/dance scene.

Biebers first song is called 'Mark My Words' this is a soft, apologetic track to introduce the album, and you know that it can only get better from here onward. He regretfully sings the first line which creates an eerie, questionable atmosphere..

"Mark my words, that's all that I have.."

The next track is called 'I'll Show You' this song reflects more of a compassionate and softer side of Bieber, and he is trying to prove somebody wrong. He lives his life without any privacy due to constantly being in the eye of the media, therefore it is hard for him to get into relationships. Leading to this song linking back to his 'She Don't Like The Lights' hit off his 'Believe Acoustic' album.

"My life is a movie, and everyone's watching"

One of the most renowned track off Biebers new album is the next song called 'What Do You Mean?' This song is predominantly about Justin getting frustrated with a girl as she doesn't seem to know what she wants. 

"What do you mean? Oh,oh - when you nod your head yes, but you wanna say no."

This track became a big hit due to the repetitiveness of the lyrics and the dance beat, and the following song was also a big hit for the same reasons and that track is called 'Sorry'. Bieber obviously had a sexual encounter with somebody and she thought more of it.. However when he ended it he realised that he liked her too. Unfortuneatly it is now a bit too late Biebs..

"Is it too late now to say sorry? 'Cus I'm missing more than just your body."

The fifth song, called 'Love Yourself'  is about another sexual encounter, and she thinks that she has him wrapped around her little finger but he knows what game she is playing...

"And all the clubs you get in using my name... You think you broke my heart, oh girl for goodness sake. You think I'm crying on my own, well I ain't."

However he continues to play her back at her own games, and finds out she is sleeping with somebody else whilst he's been working.

"And I've been so caught up in my job, didn't see what's going on and now I know - im better sleeping on my own."

By this point in his album, during his next track called 'Company', Justin is sick of getting feelings for girls, therefore he just wants a quick one night stand or a short term bit of fun.

"You ain't gotta be my lover for me to call you baby, never been around no pressure ain't that serious no."

Im thoroughly surprised that this song isn't up there with 'Sorry',' What Do You Mean' and 'Love Yourself' because it's very catchy and has quite a beat to it. The next song is the first track on the album to feature another artist and it is called 'No Pressure' (feat.Big Sean) . This track has a different message than the other songs, as he's giving a girl time to make her mind up as he wants something more and he's being patient to see if she wants the same thing. The next song to feature another artist is called 'No Sense' (feat.Travis Scott). As the album progresses you can see that he just wants somebody to have a bit of fun with at the start and now he's starting to want a relationship, and is involving love within his songs...

"Oh my heart is a vacant house when you're gone away, so it's empty. And love don't make sense when it's empty."

I'm not particularly fond of the first two featuring songs, however I do like the next one which features a female voice accompanying Justin - 'The Feeling' (feat.Halsey). I just think that the collaborations of the two voices work really well together and the song in general is a good song, however I wouldn't necessarily say it is dance music, more like the song you listen to when somebody isn't replying to your texts. The next track is one of my favourites off this album as it just has so much raw emotion and truth to it and this song is called 'Life Is Worth Living'. As we all know, a few years back JB wasn't dealing with the stress of the paparazzi and his break up from Selena Gomez very well and he turned to marijuana and got arrested several times, but nothing too major... He is giving out a very clear message to his fans, telling them that 'life is worth living'.

"Life is worth living, so live another day."

The following track is also another dance song and it is very catchy too. This track is called 'Where Are U Now' it has a very positive beat to it, regardless of the message being the complete opposite and I think that is the reason why this dance track oddly works - it works because it shouldn't work... Moving forward, the second to last track on the album is called 'Children' and yet again it is another very emotional song and reminds me of one of his previous tracks off this album called 'Life Is Worth Living'. Emotional, yet it has a strong dance rhythm and beat to it - but I don't think that it works that well, therefore I don't particularly rate this song... The song to close off the album is of course the title track called 'Purpose'. This track is also a ballad like 'Life Is Worth Living' which mixes the album up a bit as it takes it away from the house genre,mand you get a bit nostalgic as you compare it to his old work. He obviously is holding back a lot of emotional pain as he ceases the album off with a short speech.

"That's what's happening with me, it's like 'God, I'm giving it all I've got, sometimes I'm weak and I'm going to do it.' And it's like I'm not giving myself grace, I'm just like understanding that's how it is."

In conclusion, I think that this album was definitely worth waiting for. I've never seen so many people talk about Justin Bieber in such a positive way during the past few months over social media, and in person. I think that the album as a whole is great, but I think that some songs just don't work... and that is only down to my personal preference, such as; 'No Pressure', 'No Sense', and 'Children'. I think that my favourite tracks off the album would have to be; 'Life Is Worth Living', 'Love Yourself' and 'I'll Show You'. This album is a fantastic car album, so I'd 110% recommend that you buy the CD for your car - discounting the ballads, it is such a positive album. The majority of the songs are a huge F*CK YOU to people who have hurt him, and singing along with him just makes you feel so sassy! Great album, I definitely do recommend that you give it a listen if you haven't already.

9/10