Bloc Party - HYMNS (Album Review)

I am apologising on behalf of my idol self still not getting my record player sorted; therefore the Kula Shaker '2.0' album review will have to be delayed until further notice... On the other hand, I have another album review prepared and it is Bloc Party's new album 'HYMNS'. Bloc Party are an indie alternative dance band from London, the foursome now consists of the multi-talented musicians; Kele Okereke on lead vocals, rhythm guitar and keyboards, Russell Lissack on the keyboards & lead guitar, Justim Harris on bass, keyboards, saxophone and backing vocals and Louise Bartle on the drums. Bloc Party are a very versatile band as in their early days they were very alternative and indie and then they moved into a completely different bracketed genre of techno and this album appears to be a combination of their earlier work and new work moulded together to make this album as interesting as possible. 'HYMNS' was released last month on the 29th of January 2016.

The first song to open up this interesting 11-track album is called - 'The Love Within'. An eery techno intro opens up the album shortly followed by some very captivating lyrics that Okereke sings...

"Lord give me grace and dancing feet, as I conquer all anxiety. The angel told me not to fear, that the power too was in me."

The lyrics are articulated very clear at the beginning and then Okereke begins to sing on the chorus...

"The love within is moving upwards, so don't you want to get high? Don't you want to get high?

This track seems as though it is about somebody receiving a natural high from being in love and he is inviting his lover to feel the mutual high as she appears to be pushing him away.

The next track is called 'Only He Can Heal Me' and oddly, the intro reminded me of when the Oompa Loompa's begin to sing their song on Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - due to the quiet echoed backing vocals, however that image was soon distorted within a matter of seconds. This song has a very likeable factor about it, as the lyrics are pronounced ever so clearly like the previous track, and the beat really begins to pick up during the chorus, and then the track begins to create a house beat to it which results in this discotheque atmosphere being created during the song which is probably why it has that like-ability factor to it. 'So Real' is one of their more alternative tracks on the album and it is a very emotional and intimate song...

"What am I supposed to do when the only thing good about me, was you? What am I supposed to feel? As you kept the only part of me that was real... So real."

This is evidentially a song about the devastating reality of being cheated on right infront of your face, as it has caused the lyricist a terrible heartbreak and you can tell that they had been cheated on for the sake of a one night stand as the lyrics state...

"I know I pleased you, but now my baby's got new slang and a taste for strangers."

The following track is called 'The Good News' and it has a guitar intro and I have come to the realisation that the majority of the songs on this album appear to be heavily based on religion, however it works in their favour as the lyrics appear to be very effective and catchy - their chorus is a prime example...

"Every day I walk down to the water, and I pray since you left me that way. Oh Lord, I'm trying to keep my mind on the good news that's in my heart."

'Fortress' is a very chilled out song and the vocals are very high and slow... This track is the paradox on the album and it is about having sex with the person you have desired to be intimate with for a long time. Although it is quite a graphic song it does not appear sleazy it sounds more sexy and intimate. This track proves to be about making love to the right woman and showing all of your devotion and love towards her.

"Reach down and feel how strong my love grows, just for you"

The sixth track within the album has one of the most interesting titles I have come across in a long time and it is called 'Different Drugs'. Drums and keyboards open up this song with a repetitive rhythmic beat. Yet again this another slow and emotive song... The different drugs represent the different wants and desires between the two individuals who aren't really willing to compromise.

"It started as a joyride, just a way to let off steam, but now we're running off the road cause you're asleep at the wheel."

She wants to die and he wants to keep her spirit and presence alive and working things out appears to be an uncompromisable situation. Either he lets her go to be on her own and suffer with her demonic thoughts about ending her life or he gets dragged down with her.

As the album progresses, there wasn't as much differenciation between tracks as I initially thought there was when I listen to the album all the way through before reviewing it... 'Into The Earth' is the next track and it is structured similarly to the opening track - 'The Love Within'. All I have to say about this song is that they like their drugs!

"I'll sing you Al Green songs, I'm just trying to gently blur the lines with my trusty sinsemilla."

For all of you that don't know what sensimilla is; it is a very rare and strong form of marijuana as when translated from Spanish it means 'without seeds'. 'My True Name' has a groovy guitar picking intro, however the beat remains pretty constant throughout. Following this song is 'Virtue' and this track brings the techno element back into the album, whereas 'Exes' bounces back to that slow indie/alternative genre and this song is about wanting to go back and apologise to his exes for how he left them. The song to close off the album is called 'Living Lux', and this is about being discriminated against for being poor when they can afford a life of luxury and they show off with their lobster and Moët. This could be to do with the transition of becoming famous and what life was like before, and the early stages of their success.

In conclusion the first half of the album was flawless, but as I was evaluating it, I realised as the album progressed it became quite repetitive in some areas... On the other hand when I listened to it before I reviewed it, I loved it - as I wasn't tearing the songs apart. The album is good, it is just the second half that lets it down a bit and I wouldn't recommend listening to the deluxe version as you'd probably lose interest when you hit track 12. I prefer their more techno work, but that's just my personal preference. Overall it was a good album and I wouldn't really say that Bloc Party have disappointed me, because I like the album when I aren't thinking about it - it's just the rhythm doesn't tend to change. Regardless of these points the lyricist is an incredibly talented individual. The lyrics are unbelievably well thought out and I was really impressed. I would recommend the album though, as long as you aren't going to tear it apart like I have!

8/10

Catfish & the Bottlemen - Soundcheck (Single Review)

Unfortunately due to my record player undergoing sad unforeseen circumstances, within its life where his needle is now broken - I am unable to review Kula Shaker's new '2.0' album; as promised last week. Moving forward, that has resulted in me discovering some new music to hopefully bless your ears with; which happens to be Catfish & the Bottlemen's new single 'Soundcheck'. 

During the lifetime of my music blog, I have reviewed Catfish's full debut album and one of their gigs back in March 2015. However, they ended up getting very over-played and boring due to them bringing out no new material and doing several tours just off their first album... Resulting in fans being ecstatic when rumours were going around of a new track, and then when they finally released their new single, 'Soundcheck' on the 16th of February 2016 it didn't quite have the response I was hoping to see. Fans appeared to be rather disappointed, therefore I thought that I would judge it for myself. For any readers that have never heard of this band before; they are a four piece indie-rock band from Llanduno, North Wales and the foursome consists of; Van McCann on lead vocals, Johnny Bond on the lead guitar, Benji Blakeway on bass and Bob Hall on the drums. The foursome hit the big time in the UK with their popular track; 'Cocoon' - which was off their debut album 'The Balcony'.

The song cuts in straight away with McCann's contradicting voice; that tends to sound relaxed but uptight at the same time. As the intro progresses I heard slight influences of Circa Waves, but on the other hand Catfish still have that strong sound to them whereby you can appreciate each musician individually as they all get their own time to shine. On the contrary, they have not really moved forward or progressed their sound since 'The Balcony' ... As I begin to thoroughly listen to the lyrics I came to the realisation of how much of a badly written song it is; the band are used as a cover-up to distract listeners from realising how much of a badly written song that it happens to be...

"And if only for the sake of it I could chill you out and drive us through the night to your sisters. You can fall asleep with my jacket as a cover, and wake up just to join me smoke."

On the bright side, they do have a catchy chorus regardless of how badly written the song may be ...

"I wanted everything at once, until you blew me out my mind - now I don't need nothing!"

In conclusion, I did expect more from this band as they pulled it out of the bag with their first album, and after fans have listened to the same tracks over and over again with dedication in the wait for a new release - I am not surprised that they are disappointed with the outcome of their new single. They needed something new, something refreshing, something different and raw. It is just another song, about another female with a repetitive chorus... They need to re-create their image or at least come out with something fresh! The indie-rock competition has been piping up over recent years, and if they don't pull it out of the bag soon - then people will get tired and bored of listening to the same old meaningless bollocks. I mean; take Arctic Monkeys for example, and look at the difference from their first album to their last and every album inbetween they are all different, refreshing material and Turner also happens to be a brilliant lyricist and that is why they have remained so successful for such a long period of time.  This track would have made a great addition to 'The Balcony' last year, but I fail to see success within their new album as it will just be incredibly similar to 'The Balcony' but worse ...

4/10

Viola Beach - Swings & Waterslides (Single Review)

A while ago I was asked to review Viola Beach's single; but due to receiving so many requests in such a short period of time, I could not fit them in to my schedule for at least another month! Then when the time came around to review them, I was completely distracted by new albums, EP's and single releases... Ultimately, my plan for this weekend was to review Kula Shakers new album that had been released on Friday the 12th of February 2016. However due to the devastating occurrence that had arose yesterday, with the car crash that managed to end the lives of not only the four-piece band, but also their manager - I thought that the Kula Shaker review could wait. 

Viola Beach were a four-piece alternative indie pop band from Warrington that had formed in 2015. The quartet consisted of; Kris Leonard on lead vocals, River Reeves on lead guitar, Tomas Lowe on the  bass and Jack Dakin on the drums. Their first single to be released was 'Swings and Waterslides' and the release date for the single was the 28th of August 2015. They have turned the common phrase of 'swings and roundabouts' into an alternative version of their own; evidently replacing 'roundabouts' with 'waterslides'. This screams to me that they have way more 'Ups' than 'Downs' in their lifetime as a waterslide is a lot more adventurous and fun than going around a roundabout! The phrase goes as follows...

"What you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts"

On the other hand, Viola Beach's version basically says...

"What you lose on the swings you gain on a big fucking slippery fun waterslide!"

Anyway, enough analysing the song title! Let's get down to the actual song! The guitar slowly introduces the song for a mineute moment then all of the instruments clash at once, and mellow down to a softer rhythm once the vocalist, Leonard begins to sing and paint a picture for the listeners.

"Feeling a lighter breeze, the sun it shines on all you see. Ya squint trying to look at me, but can I use your lighter please?"

First of all can I just state that the end of this line is EVERY blokes chat up line! Therefore this proves that Leonard has a romantic interest or sexual attraction towards this individual; however due to the sun blinding her, this results in her not being able to see him without squinting her eyes a little in order to try and see who it is. This song reminds me of one of them songs where every single person sings in unison shouting out the chorus, as it is incredibly catchy due to the repetitiveness!

"Won't you come home? [x8] 'Cause I need you home, yeah I need you - oh you know I do"

The swings in his situation are being parted from this girl... However it feels euphoric when he's with her and he feels a 'high' which evidentially proves to be the 'waterslides' within his life.

In conclusion this indie rhythmic track is intensely catchy and meaningful... Two things that I love to see within a track - a song with depth, yet simple. The death of these lads is the epitome of the Devils work. They really would of had a bright future ahead of them if this terrible disaster had not have occurred. The song is very well thought out and they all work well together, it's almost like they were destined to be in a band together... I would definitely recommend that you give this track; and perhaps some of their other work a listen too, however I would not want people to be dis-heartened when listening to them - as they will have to listen to their music with the realisation that no more music is ever going to be produced by this fantastic foursome ever again. Rest in Peace to the band and their manager, God bless.

10/10

Duffy - Whole Lot Of Love from 'Legend' (Single Review)

Welsh female singer/songwriter Amie Ann Duffy, otherwise known as 'Duffy' has released her first single in five years, and it was written for a film! The film was 'Legend' starring Tom Hardy; about the Kray Twins, in which Duffy stars as 'Timi Yuro' which was Reggie Krays favourite singer. You may know Duffy for her soulful 'Rockferry' album or hits of 'Mercy' and 'Warwick Avenue'. Duffy has been a big influence in my life since the age of 11 when I sang 'Mercy' in a talent competition. However as I began to discover new music - I distanced from listening to her, but I have been listening to her again recently... Soon to discover that it was infact Duffy singing in the Krays club in 'Legend'! 

 The track starts off with a low, deep rhythmic beat on the drums soon accompanied by Duffy's distinctive vocals of;

"I feel frustrated all the time, over and over - bitter sweet; you and me."

This scene appears in the film when Frances is beginning to get depressed with Reggies gangster antics, therefore perhaps the song is related to Frances' mentality and feelings towards Reggie and life at that point during the film. The track has a sense of attitude with it, like a lot of Duffys work. I particularly admire not only the fact that she is a brilliant lyricist, but her voice is so unique and distinctive. Duffy is basically Amy Winehouse without substance abuse and the popularity of James Morrison - she is painfully underrated.

"Took a whole lot of love to hate you the way I do."

In conclusion this song sounds like it is about a woman who is receiving constant mixed messages from her lover and at times she hates him; and at times she loves him. However, she soon discovers that the bad outweighs the good, and realises that he makes her hate him more than he makes her love him. This soulful track is full of attitude and femininity; it is a typical Duffy track! I cannot be the only person that has missed listening to her soulful, distinctive voice over the past half decade! If you have not given Duffy a listen before and you like modern day soul or Amy Winehouse I would definitely recommend that you give her new track a listen! She has sure come back with full force though, good on her! I cannot wait for a rumour to go around of a new album! Fantastic track, and as always - she never disappoints.

10/10