Track Of the Week

This weeks track of the week is split between two songs becasue I honestly couldn't decide; it's shared between Florence and the Machine's 'What the Water Gave Me' and Red Hot Chilli Peppers' new track 'The Adventures of Raindance Maggie' which see's both artists return on top form.
'What the Water Gave Me' is a song that builds and builds until it soars into pure genius at the end with her trademark powerful vocals and harp but with a slightly earthier and grimier sound with more guiatrs than usual. A beautiful song that easily gets you moving to it and I can't wait to hear the rest of her new album.
'The Adventures of Raindance Maggie' is another classic Chilli's tune with an intoxicating chorus and fantastic guitar and bass work and the usual nonsensical lyrics. A great easy rock song to humm away to even if the video is a bit dubious with a little too much facial hair.

 

Track Of The Week & Album Review

This track may have been released last week but I have been unable to post on my blog recently due to family holidays in corners of Cornwall which have thoroughly  refused to join the 21st Century and have wifi, however this song is still one of the best recent releases. This weeks track goes to Arctic Monkeys' 'Hellcat Spangled Shalalala' the latest single of their 4th album 'Suck It And See'. This song lives up to it's title opening with spangly guitars before being pulled back down with the earthy base and held together with Alex Turner's wonderfully witty lyrics.
 This song is indicative of their whole album. It's bursting with layers of different sounds and riffs which whilst being often complicated and intricate are not inaccessible to listeners, indeed they rather draw you into the record. Turners' charming lyrics hold this record together and, whilst not always being that easy to understand, are none the less beautifully crafted, intoxicating and pure northern genius! It also has a distinctly retro vibe which instead of seeming dated or unoriginal draws inspiration from the past whilst creating something innovative and fresh.
In short this album is beyond increible! When you listen to it you feel like you're hearing something momentous; something akin to a masterpiece. It's closely linked to previous albums with the punch of their first two, the confident crooning of the third and the skill that comes with experience and age without any of the things that've hampered them in the past such as the impersonal lyrics of 'Humbug'. It seems like within this album the band has rediscovered their humour and lightened up which has allowed their music to evolve into it's full potential.
I sincerely recommend this album to anyone who appreciates alternative rock/ any rock at all. It's a treat to listen to and is one of my all time favourite albums.

Track of the Week

This weeks track goes to Cage The Elephant with one of their older songs 'Back Against The Wall'. It's a great rock song with an incredibly catchy chorus that has been amazingly helpful getting me through exam stress although the video is odd; there's no denying it. Their also touring currently so if you like them why not see them live?

Track Of The Week

This week's track goes to The Wombats with 'Anti-D'. It's an interesting song that’s unique in its simplicity; it doesn't build up to huge crescendos but rather revels in its understated beauty. Revolving entirely around the lyrics and vocals that are helped along by the drums, guitar and symphony undertones which accentuate the emotions perfectly.
The first thing that caught my attention in this song were the clever lyrics where he sings to “Please allow me to be your anti-depressant. I too am prescribed as freely as any decongestant". Then after listening to it a few more times (well maybe non-stop for a few days...) the whole song comes together to reveal the true genius of it!

New Video

Young Guns have released their sixth single from their brilliant début album 'All Our Kings Our Dead' and below is their new video for it which is unlikely to get as much air time as it deserves. It's a beautiful video shot in enigmatic black and white, overly stylised and full of artistic images and an emotive performance from Gus and most importantly compliments the song perfectly.

Music Battle

So which is the current music battle raging? No, for once it's not the Gallaghers squabbling amongst each other, nor is is it Nicky Wire mouthing off at someone; this time it's the age old battle of X Factor vs. Indie rock. X Factor has a history of taking classic Indie tracks such as 'Run' by Snow Patrol, 'Creep' by Radiohead and 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' by Oasis and getting contestants to cover them sometimes leading to them becoming more well known for the cover instead of the original resulting in discord and angst from the original fans.
The current battle is between Biffy Clyro with 'Many Of Horror' and recent X Factor winner Matt Cardle with the renamed 'When We Collide' dividing people into camp X Factor and camp Rock. Below are both versions of the song, please watch both before carrying on reading.





Verdict
It may not surprise you which camp I reside in; firmly in camp Rock. I've loved 'Many Of Horror' since it's release and this love was cemented by seeing it performed live. 'Many Of Horror' is a heartfelt song about a seemingly abusive relationship and when performed by Biffy that emotion translates creating art. I don't deny that covering a song can improve on the original, as proved by Muse with their cover of 'Feeling Good', but I personally believe that Cardle's version doesn't add anything to the song. When listening to Cardle's cover I don't properly hear the lyrics, or feel the beat because always present in my mind is the notion that it's purpose is not that of the original; instead of releasing emotion his song is about providing the perfect pedestal to show of the notes he can reach only to win votes and to me that's not music. It's business not art.
However if Cardle's song means more to you or makes you happy then so be it; whatever works for you is the only thing that matters. I also acknowledge that through Matt covering it it exposes Biffy to thousands of people who will have never heard them thus spreading the revolution (and also makes them a vast amount of money through royalties).
Conversely in conclusion The Revolution eagerly and loyally takes the side of Biffy Clyro with the rightly named 'Many Of Horror'.

Something Refreshingly Depressive-Joy Division

In case all of this festive spirit is a bit oppressive as it can be because it dictates that any negative emotions are not acceptable this time of year this post is about a band that embraces all that is negative; Joy Division. There is nothing wrong with listening to depressing music if it makes you happy and it is often just the thing when you need something that creates the right ambience to let your own emotions play out.
Joy Division were an English rock band that formed in 1976 in Manchester and consisted of Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris. They were influenced by the Punk movement and instead of replicating it they let it influence their style whilst they created something new by using the energy of punk but adding a more melancholy feel to it.
Their songs are powered by the bass and drums supported by Ian's gloomy deep voice as he sings heartfelt but depressed lyrics such as "love will tear us apart". Their rhythmic and often slightly monotonous, in a captivating way instead of a dull way, and when you listen to their songs you immerse yourself in them.
Their story is a sad one though as in 1980 Ian Curtis committed suicide due to among other reasons a   crumbling marriage and problems with epilepsy. The remaining band members went on to form a new band called 'New Order' who had a successful career in their own right.
Joy Division have hugely impacted the world of modern music today influencing hundreds of bands such as The Killers, Editors, U2 and The Cure.
Please check out the videos below and I hope they offer, just as the post title says, something refreshingly depressive. Also if you like them please check out some of their other work.





As a side note if you like this band and even if you don't you should check out the film 'Control' which is a black and white biographical film about Ian Curtis that was made in 2007 and stars Sam Riley and Samantha Morton. It's an incredible indie film with some memorable performances especially form the two actors named above made even more impressive as it was Sam Riley's first major role. This film will make you cry but that only proves how masterfully it's been created as it portrays real people and makes the audience care about them. Also the actors who play the band members all learnt how to play their instruments and were so good and believable that in the film it's their versions of the songs used instead of recordings of Joy Divisions. It's an amazing film that should definitely be seen but sadly hasn't been as much as it should have done.

Young Guns Live Review + 5 Other bands

Over the weekend I again had the pleasure of seeing another incredible band live, this time it was Young Guns in Cardiff at the Millennium Music Hall. Young Guns are an alternative rock band that consists of Gus Wood, John and Fraser Taylor, Simon Mitchell and Ben Jolliffe. They released their EP 'Mirrors' last year and released their début album 'All Our Kings Are Dead' earlier this year and have been making quite a splash appearing on covers of Kerrang, which, for their young age in the life cycle of a rock band, is pretty impressive. Not only did I get to see them live but five others as well; it was like a mini festival.

First to take to the stage was, I'm ashamed to say, a band I still don't know the name of. There was four of them and they made a true assault on the crowd. Instead of being shy and making no eye contact with the crowd as most opening support bands tend to do this band got right up in your face, literally. The singer jumped off stage and shouted to his hearts content into the crowd and truly invaded the front rows personal space. Mostly taken aback and unsure of what to make of it the crowd never really allowed themselves to be submerged in the music of this unknown band, probably because the singer was a bit manic singing one song then stopping and starting a new one part way through and at one point singing an unaccompanied version of 'Poker Face' by Lady Gaga. However contrary to the rest of this paragraph they weren't bad and the crowd didn't dislike them, it just wasn't quite sure what to make of them. Their songs also weren't bad, a little rap like in places which didn't do anything for me but did go down well with others and a bit too similar but I would've happily listened to more.

Next on was the conundrum that it Japanese Voyeurs. They had some of the best music of the whole night with complicated yet accessible bass riffs, interesting guitar melodies and distorted undertones on the keyboard but the singers voice...Her voice was high pitched, nasally and whiny. To put it bluntly it ruined the music. I'm not being sexist as I know that the music industry, especially rock, is dominated by men but her voice sounded like she was trying too hard to sound different and this made it inaccessible for much of the crowd and the band were less well received than the first one. Whilst watching her I did feel emphatic because she was trying so hard to win the crowd over and express her music but it just didn't transfer. It's a real shame because their music was so good but I wouldn't recommend this band.

After Voyeurs on came Set Your Goals. Set Your Goals are a post-punk and hardcore band from California. It was obvious from the second they came on stage that a lot of the crowd had already heard and liked their music because they instantly went for it. The rest of us were left a little perplexed because their music was all right, nothing mind blowing. However as their set continued they won over more and more of the crowd with their energetic performance and were overall a good band, but not a great band. I wouldn't personally go out of my way to see this band again.

Next on was The Swellers who are a punk band from Michigan and to sum it up they were fantastic. They won over pretty much the whole crowd and got us all head banging and jumping to their music. The songs were accessible and easy to join in with as much of the crowd starting to sing along even though this was the first time they'd heard it and they showed a range of songs within their set as well which was made it so much better. Instead of just doing their heaviest songs as many support bands do to get the crowd moving they played some slightly slower more melancholy songs which took us on a journey with them. The music had clear guitar solos and riffs that was refreshing after hours of chords. A highlight of the set was when all of the previous bands and Young Guns jumped the stage and sang along with them for a chorus before quickly running off again as it was their last night all playing together. Swellers formed a good rapport with the crowd joking with us about buying a "welsh spoon" for the singers girlfriend (although my friends and I didn't know what that was and assumed it was a euphemism until we were informed later on what it was), proposing marriage with their Canadian bassist and declaring that their guitarist had "all UK blood". We also met them after the show and they were genuinely nice guys and happy to sign our stuff and chat. I would recommend this band as they played a brilliant set.

Then finally, after hours, Young Guns took to the stage. Opening with 'Sons of Apathy' the crowd went insane. We all instantly surrendered ourselves to the music and chanted each and every lyric along with Gus who was jumping around stage and punching the air with each stressed syllable. The band were like a pack all moving as one, jumping at the same time and effortlessly navigating the small stage and playing in perfect time. Absolutely all the songs were played to the same standard as the studio recording but coupled with the charismatic and energetic performance it made for an amazing gig. One of the funniest moments was when Gus, as usual was jumping around and landed it wrong and fell flat on his back, laughed down the mic, carried on singing, waved his legs in the air then jumped up and carried on, with the only reference to his fall at the end of the song where he asked the crowd "if there was any chance anyone didn't see him fall flat on his arse?" to which the we all just chuckled thus confirming his fears. They played a fantastic set, each song played perfectly and with huge support from the crowd as we jumped, head banged, punched the air and sang along to each song seemingly to the pleasant surprise of the band. Gus kept saying how none of them had expected Cardiff to be this good and for us to be this "amazing" and repeatedly thanked us for being so great and ending their tour on a high.



Set list given to us by one of the stage managers belonging to John

 Upon leaving the stage, then reappearing after we all chanted for more they started up again with 'At The Gates' which was one of the highlights of the set as we sung louder than before and it gave a new dimension just like Swellers, but more effective as we all knew and loved the songs already, and took the crowd on a journey of emotions. Another highlight was when Gus jumped off the stage and stood pressed against the barrier and sung into the mass of bodies and put the mic up to people at which the crowd went wild and tried to pull him into it. Also when Simon and John stood on the amps at the front of the stage and sung along with us all and beamed at the crowd.
Finishing with 'Weight of the World' Young Guns played an unbelievable set and the only problem was the length of it but given time to release more fantastic albums they could easily become rock royalty. So was it worth hours travelling to get there, lining up in the freezing cold for an hour and being a complete zombie the next day? Hell yeah! I recommend everyone who is a fan of rock to see this band live or at the very least check out their album!

Below are some of their music videos as there were none recorded on the night.

Revolution

So, 'The Revolution'. Don't worry you haven't stumbled onto an extremist blog, I'm not calling for a political uprising or indeed any drastic action at all.
Instead my Revolution is centred around a typically adolescent topic. Music.
There are thousands and thousands of freaks, geeks and misfits out there and I have the great pleasure of being one. We don't fit the norm. We don't connect to the corporate produced music that smothers the charts day in day out. Instead we seek comfort with something entirely different. Our tastes span from indie, alternative, progressive, heavy, metal, punk, emo, anything you name it, yet we are all united by one common factor; emotion. With our music it doesn't matter how many columns the artist has had in the press, how revealing their outfit is, how white their teeth are or how much controversy they can cause to get more attention because this is all immaterial to music. Music is emotion. It has the ability to make you cry or make you euphoric. It's not the note that matters but the emotion being played out through it. When you hear Thom Yorke crying out that he doesn't belong here, or Matt Belamy declaring he's feeling good, Robert Smith promising he'll always love someone or Ian Curtis warning that love will tear us apart you feel that emotion. It reverberates within you and it is through this that you connect to the music and let it play through you.
We are the great unheard section of society. Sure we have various beacons of light that celebrate our music such as NME, Kerrang, MTV Two ect. but we still reside in the shadows.
For too long have we put up the same old processed beats in the charts with the odd flash of something great. For too long has our music been left unheard and unsung. If you like all the music in the charts then that's absolutely fine, whatever makes you happy, that's the only important thing. All I ask is that our music is celebrated as well.
This is my revolution. I will celebrate the music that goes uncelebrated. Music may be a business but lets make it an art again.
So yeah we may be creeps and we may be weirdos but we sure as hell do belong here and in the charts because where would music be without the true artists that we love?
Vive la révolution!