Alt-J Album Review

This week, Alt-J’s debut album, “An Awesome Wave”, won the Barclaycard Mercury Prize and has since featured on the cover of NME this week. Personally, I’d missed the album and a combination of the two factors above made me think I must listen to this album! Thank goodness that I did, this album really does deserve the recognition it has received. This year, so many fantastic albums have been released by fantastic bands and artists but this album is definitely one of the most original and well and truly on of the best.

Alt-J are a band from Leeds who met at University. They formed in 2007 and for the early days didn’t reveal their identities to their fan base. The name “Alt-J” comes from the Mac shortcut for the Delta symbol (Δ) and their early recordings were developed on the Mac programme, Garageband until 2011 when the signed for Infectious Records. The album was recorded in Brixton even though they currently take residence in Cambridge.

Onto the album then! For me, the album is so affective because it is so fresh and new but I could still associate it with other bands and pick out possible influences for the album. The only way I can easily describe “An Awesome Wave” is that for me it seems like a mix between Dry the River’s “Shallow Bed” Kasabian’s debut album “Kasabian”. The reason I say this is because there are incredibly intricate synth parts like Kasabian in tracks like “Ovary Stripe” but also combine it with beautiful guitar parts and haunting vocals like Dry the River. The album as a whole, unlike a lot of Indie I’ve come across, has a chirpy feel to it meaning they aren’t being moody long haired young men who are pissed off about their endless encounters with heartbreak.

"An Awesome Wave" album artwork.

They are adventurous with their music which refers back to what I said about the album being “fresh and new”. The second track “Interlude I” is completely acapella and is very basic (in the sense that a higher instrument does a main melody and a lower instrument does the harmony, the song reminds me of a piano in a way because the higher voice, the right hand, sings the more intricate melody line where as the lower voice, the left hand, does the longer and more drawn out notes) and reminds me of traditional African music. In “Taro”, there is a flicker of Indian influences in the music with the use of Tabla, Sitar, Indian style vocals and Bansuri which when mixed with Western instruments, gives a really nice feel to the piece.

I love songs that have many different melodies and the album is so polyphonic and thick, you could chew it. Every time I listen to the album, I discover something new; it’s wonderful because it’s so busy and you get the sense the whole thing is alive.

Behind all of the songs, apart from the acapella one, is a brilliant beat. Unlike a lot of bands in their genre, the beats on this are almost hip-hoppy and again adds to that list of things that make the album so new and different form the rest of them. I love this album because it’s so geeky; I get the idea of the band sitting in a dark room tapping different things into their Macs until it sounds good (which relates to me because that’s basically what I do with my weekends, only I don’t have the privilege of owning a Mac).

Going back to the feel of the album briefly, overall, the album has a nice chilled feel about it. When I listen to the album, I feel myself feeling relaxed and it’s very tempting not to get lost in the layers of music.  

If I had to give a negative, I have to say the clarity of the vocals isn’t 100% my cup of tea. Being a vocalist myself, I do prefer clear vocals. I wouldn’t say it was anywhere near enough put a downer on the album, in fact the more I think about it, the more I think it is a good thing because traditionally, vocals will always be the most important than the rest of the instrument but it seems to me, Alt-J have tried to bring the vocals down to the same level as the rest of the instruments so they’re all as one instead of vocals with accompaniment.

This really is a very good album and if you’re hesitating to buy it, hesitate no longer. It’s fresh, fun so amazing. You will be captured in every single song and I promise, it will soon become a regular replay album on your IPod/IPhone/MP3 player etc. BUY!

9/10

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Vaccines Gig Review

The Vaccines

This is a gig I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. For the past three years, the Vaccines have been bombarding the world with their music releasing two albums in that time which both got to the top 5 of the U.K album chart. This fact alone is enough to compare them with the likes of the Smiths (who in the space of five years released four albums). In three years, the indie world has been hit by Vaccines mania with a massive following of girls wanting a piece of Justin, Freddie, Arni and Pete and one of those girls is me!

The Vaccines are renowned for their simplistic yet catchy songs and I always questioned whether these songs would work live. I also questioned whether the Vaccines were like so many Indie bands these days, make a good EP that suck you in and makes you think they’re the next big band but when you go and see them, you feel let down because the only thing that is big about is their ego. They aren’t, from what I saw and what I heard, they really do deserve to be one of the biggest bands in the country right now.

Deap Vally

For the Vaccines, Leicester is a special place for them because they did their first gig here and they have a massive fan base in the city as well. The gig as a whole was very good with entertaining support acts building us up to the penultimate performance we were all so excited about. The first act I saw was Deap Vally from California who formed last year. The band is made up of Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards and made me think of a female Black Keys (as it was just the two of them.) and sounded a bit like Band of Skulls. I really liked them and actually bought their Live EP and they definitely got the audience moving. Next to come on was DIIV who are an Indie band for New York City. The bands also formed in 2011 and have already released their debut album “Oshin”, which is now in my iTunes Library. For a new band they were very surprising, they had nice guitar riffs and a nice beat which was good to get the audience going. They were nice to watch because I got the impression they are being a band for the fun of it not as a job yet.

DIIV

Onto the main story, the Vaccines. Even though I was at the back, I still loved every minute of the gig. The nice thing was that they didn’t just sing their singles; they also sang the songs that you really have to love them for and buy the albums to know for example I was very impressed and surprised when they sang “Aftershave Ocean” which for me was the first track that stood out as one I’d take in and love but isn’t their most well-known piece and considering they didn’t play all of the songs on the new record “Come of Age” it was nice to mix it in there, I think it really showed the men from the boys, metaphorically, showing the real fans from the crowd followers because I did notice a few people sitting down to their phones whilst this song was on. They weren’t chatty, which I like in concert because even though the concert tends to be shorter if the band just get on with it, you have more consistency and the concert flows nicely instead of being broken up into little staccato chunks that get the audience up and going and then making them stop suddenly. I like my concerts legato thank you very much! 

Was the concert short? No, I don’t think so they got through quite a few songs, not every song but quite a few. I got the impression they wanted to keep the concert upbeat and alive because they didn’t play any slow songs like “Weirdo” or “Lonely World” which was disappointing. For a gig in a smallish concert hall which hosts orchestras more than rock bands, I was very happy with what I got for my money.

Considering that next year people will be paying double to see them in arenas, I thought this gig was amazing and brilliant value for money. I prefer the small gigs, they always seem a lot more real to me. For example, I went to see Kasabian in the summer at the secret gig at Brixton and it was amazing because they were feet away from me, some of my biggest idols standing there that close and performing some of my favourite songs of all time. But in September, I went to see Noel Gallagher at Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, Noel Gallagher is one of my biggest idols who I love as much as Kasabian, if not more but there was something missing. The closeness you get with the band goes when you see them at an arena, for me it feels like that man on stage could really be anyone, you’re so far back, you wouldn’t really know the difference if it wasn’t for the cameras.

I think the Vaccines really are a band to add to your must see list, you have the chance to see them next year if you haven’t got tickets already. Don’t doubt whether they’re any good or not live, they are!

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Johnny Marr - "The Messenger"

On Monday, Smiths fans all over the world celebrated 30 years of life changing music. This as well as the news of Johnny Marr's solo album coming out next year has put fans in a bit of a good mood but wait, there is more... Marr has also released his first single from the album "The Messenger" which for me, has caused great excitement. I'll say now, I prefer Morrissey and I've been brought up to think that by my Dad because "Marr broke up the band" but I really like this, even though it's from an "old" artist, it still sounds really new and current. I would recommend having a listen!!

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Dry the River Gig Review

Set list:
1. Shield Your Eyes
2. New Ceremony
3. History Book
4. Demons
5. Weights & Measures
6. No Rest
7. Bible Belt
8. Lion's Den
9. Shaker Hymns (Encore)

If you have read anything on this blog before, you will know that I'm quite a big Dry the River fan. Dry the River, if you don't know already, are a folk-rock band from London who formed in 2009 and released their debut album, "Shallow Bed" earlier this year. The venue was the biggest venue they'd ever done and was at O2 Empire Shepherds Bush, London and is a venue close to my heart as it was were I witnessed my first concert (Paloma Faith if anyone is interested). 

Onto the gig then. As the band aren't that well known, they are still quite down to earth and I got the sense that they were actually excited about the gig (it being their biggest). Unlike some bands who between every song tell you how it reminds them of their childhood cat who fell off the roof and died and how the song goes out to them, Dry the River give you about a sentence every few songs to say something that will genuinely interest the audience. Dry the River get on with the gig, they don't waste time chatting. For me, you can tell if a small band are going to be any good or not by the amount of time they take between their songs. If the band lecture you about their songs, they don't have time to play as much bad music but if they get on with it, I get the impression they want to get as much in as possible for the listeners sake.

My favourite part of the gig was definitely "Weights & Measures" which was done so well. I may be being very biased here because the song means a lot to me personally and is my favourite song on the album but the performance had such power in it, it moved people even at the very back of the concert hall. What amazed me most about Dry the River's performance, was that Peter the lead singer can actually sing falsetto so well for such a long period of time. Although you can hear that Peter does sing like that on the album, I had a feeling that his voice was too good to be true, but I tell you now, it is NOT! Live, as a band, they are even more beautiful and simple than they are on the the album and seeing them making that the sound they make on the record with just an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, a bass, a drum kit and a violin (plus the occasional french horn and trumpet pairing) with your own eyes is just amazing! They're funny as well, Peter was telling the story about how he got the french horn player to teach him the little bit in the intro of "No Rest" just so he could put on the album sleeve that he played french horn and they were talking about how they were making their beer own beer and that they would be sampling it in the bar next door.

If there was a negative, it would be that the gig was a bit short. Just as you were getting into the gig, it ended.  The quality of music was brilliant but 1. They didn't play all the songs on the album - which you can expect but 2. They didn't play anything new. I gave them the benefit of the doubt because it's their first album so they probably don't have that many songs to play and it was they're biggest gig so they probably didn't want to push the boat out.

I would definitely see Dry the River again, I think the gig was a good taster as the overall message at the end was "I want more!". They are amazing live and if you haven't listened to them yet, they are a gem amongst the crap we're faced with in the music world today and are one of the bands of the year for me. LISTEN!

*Sorry this is late, I've been very busy...

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Muse - The 2nd Law Review

Happy Monday everybody. My friend Peter is a massive Muse fan and seeing as Muse aren't one of my priorities at the moment, I couldn't refuse when he said he would review their latest album "The 2nd Law". Please enjoy the works Peter Wisher!

Muse's "The 2nd Law" album artwork.

The one thing that defines Muse as a rock band is that they have never been afraid to do something radically different. Take The Resistance for example: a few virtuoso musicians had delved into a neo-classical style before (Yngwie Malmsteen, your cue to stand up), but who would have thought it possible for an alternative rock band to write a three-part symphony? Being a skilled pianist, maybe frontman Matt Bellamy felt it was instinct (one of Muse’s earlier hits Plug In Baby‘s riff quoted Bach’s Toccata in D minor). Although I regarded The Resistance as a bit of a let-down, Muse has clearly built on their experimental nature for The 2^nd Law.

Another thing about Muse is their style is instantly recognisable. At least it was already. In the days of Absolution and Origin of Symmetry, while never repetitive, there were always ridiculously heavy guitar riffs, Bellamy’s melodic falsetto and brilliant tunes that they are revered for today. But their sound has evolved since, as The Resistance showed, and The 2^nd Law features influences from (traditional Muse fans, brace yourself) funk, synth pop, 80s pop, dubstep, electro, house.... but don’t click away just yet, it’s still worth a listen and I can tell after listening to it repeatedly that the trio from Teignmouth have largely pulled it off.

Now, onto the album, track by track:

Supremacy-

Opening track ‘Supremacy’ is probably what most Muse fans were hoping to hear. The Zeppelin-esque octaves open into a metallicious, 7-string riff, which builds into Matt shrieking ‘YOUR SUUUUUPREMACYYYYYYYYY!!!’. Meanwhile the verses are the exact opposite, subdued with militaristic drumming from Dom complementing the mood. A cracking opener to the album- 9/10

Madness-

Matt described this track as ‘back to basics’ and I can’t help but agree: an electro snare beat and sparse synth are all that it is there for the first verse and chorus. Guitar finally enters in the second verse, but is not made prominent until an doubled guitar solo that could easily come out of Queen’s discography, that sounds like an outburst of emotion more than a bombastic high of say, Knights of Cydonia, but it is effective in linking the piece from quiet to emotionally loud ‘I need your love’ ringing out that will make you want to play this over and over. Absolute brilliance- 10/10

Panic Station-

Ah, a funk tune! This song features a full horn section (including musicians that played on Superstition, the Stevie Wonder classic), an infectious riff, and typically for the band Matt going crazy on his vocal line (a touch too OTT?) The music is spot on though, and is incredibly catchy! – 9/10

Prelude-

A throw-back to The Resistance, even if it’s only 57 seconds. A relaxing piano and strings interlude- 8/10

Survival-

Ever since this was revealed as the official Olympic song, and the lead single, eyes have rolled in distaste. For the benefit of those of you who couldn’t give a damn about the Olympics, this song is a thundering anthem that harks back to gladiatorial combat, with full choir backing, an unconventional structure and a screeching guitar solo to conclude. I can see why people don’t like it, even I didn’t like it at first, but it does grow on you. So what the lyrics are simple? It’s meant to be simple, because the song is about a simple thing: winning. It isn’t perfect, but still... the final breakdown kicks ass- 8.5/10

Follow Me-

It’ll be interesting to see the reaction to this up-tempo dance track. Touchingly it begins with Bellamy’s newborn son’s heartbeat, and follows on this theme with heartfelt vocals about fatherhood. Dance duo Nero helped on production for the song, and it is evident throughout. Die-hard fans will most likely want to cry after hearing this, but the more open-minded listener will regard this as a good effort from a rock band to get some electronic grooves going- 9/10

Animals-

This song also grows on you with every listen as well. While appearing to be one of the album’s quieter tracks, this is dispelled by ending with what sounds like a riot! Delay-ridden guitar, 5/4 cross rhythms and visions of humanity descending into chaos do make depressing listening though- 8.5/10

Explorers-

Muse said in an interview beforehand that they would include a lullaby on their next album, and this seems to be it. This song is probably the closest they have ever come to a ballad, yet lyrics telling of overpopulation of the planet add to the melancholy air the album has given us so far. Almost relaxing- 8/10

Big Freeze-

A Stadium stomp! ‘Big Freeze’ is one of the more up-tempo tracks that Muse have produced lately, which compares to a song U2 would compose and ‘Map of the Problematique’ from their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations. Personally this is one of my favourite tracks on the album, and even includes a noisy guitar solo for good measure- 9/10

Save Me-

This is the first song that bassist Chris Wolstenholme has written for a Muse album, and he sings on it as well! Chris suffered from an almost fatal alcohol addiction for many years, and ‘Save Me’ is a testament to it. The mood of the song is captured by a mournful guitar figure in the bridge and a clashing minor harmony in the chorus. I would say it drags on for a bit too long, but this a sad number that will almost certainly make you cry- 8/10

Liquid State-

Another Wolstenholme-sung and written production, and arguably the heaviest song on the album, ‘Liquid State’ is also about his addiction. The opening riff screams prog metal-QOTSA fans, listen to this. Rather the opposite of ‘Save Me’, it ends rather abruptly after the second chorus, but I’d say this actually works rather well with the suspended atmosphere created by the song; the fans of Muse’s heavier material will lap this up- 8.5/10  

The 2^nd Law: Unsustainable-

Utterly bizarre. This track features a sinister stringed introduction; followed by what appears to be a science lecture; which abruptly cut off by a robotic shout of ‘UNSUSTAINABLE!’ a dubstep-style section then follows. What’s nice though is that Matt is using his guitar to create the dubstep noises, even if his guitars are heavily-modified. Despite the new direction on this track the dubstep is half-decent, but a warning to all: brace yourselves- 8/10

The 2^nd Law: Isolated System-

Invariably most listeners will regard this as Exogenesis Part 4- the album closer ‘Isolated System’ is very subdued and understated, with just piano, some strings and the loop from ‘Unsustainable’ playing. Probably the weakest track on the album, but still a decent little piano sonata to listen to- 7.5/10

The 2^nd Law is one of those marmite albums: you’ve either going to love it or absolutely hate it.  Some of the songs are undeniably fantastic, but inevitably some of Muse’s dedicated fanbase are probably going to listen to this then unceremoniously burn it. In my view: so what if it’s different? It’s good to hear a band evolve their style beyond the typical turn-up-to-eleven that a heck of a lot of bands resorts to these days, if they haven’t already turned screamo. Personally I think this album is a return to form after the disappointment of The Resistance. To first-time Muse listeners: This is a good place to start. However, to hardcore Muse fans, I heed one warning.... proceed with caution.

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"Puzzle" - Biffy Clyro Review

Track List:

1. "Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies"

2. "Saturday Superhouse"

3. "Who's Got A Match"

4. "As Dust Dances"*

5. "A Whole Child Ago"

6."The Conversation Is"

7. "Now I'm Everyone"

8. "Semi-Mental"*

9. "Love Has A Diameter"

10. "Get Fucked Stud"

11. "Folding Stars"

12. "9/15ths"*

13. "Machines"

*Tracks containing hidden track "4/15ths"

I thought it was time to do a review of another one of my favourite albums. Last time I did Dry the River's "Shallow Bed" which is a lovely laid back folky album that you could easily play at your grandparents house and get away with it. This album is NOT one of those albums. I love all of Biffy's albums but this is definitely one of my favourites, released in in 2007, it was there 4th studio album in 5 years and was the album that really put the band on the music map.

The album was written when Simon, the lead singer, was going through a very rough time after losing both his mother and his grandfather in the same year. The album does really reflect that and the album cover shows a man with a piece missing this is meant to symbolise Simon's loss.

The album has an explosive start with "Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies", "Saturday Superhouse" and "Who's Got A Match" beginning the record which is a mass of guitars and drums and beautiful orchestral tones throughout (especially in "Living Is A Problem..."). The orchestra is used a lot in this album, Simon has played violin since he was a boy and so has always been good at composing really affective string pieces for his albums. The start of the album really does suck you in, the fat choruses with very catchy lyrics start to capture you in the music.

At track 4 ("As Dust Dances") the album settles down a bit and turns a bit more sombre. "As Dust Dances" is one of the reasons I love this album, my favourite kind of Biffy songs are the slower ones because Simon's skill really comes to light in these pieces. The amount of bands who write songs with a good riff and lots of distortion but don't actually use that much imagination in what they're writing down or playing is so great and it really does make music a bit boring but Biffy Clyro don't do this, especially on this album. The song slowly builds up to the heavy Biffyness throughout the song starting with just the electric guitar and vocals which is very clean and pure and then the guitar is very basic. It isn't until the 2nd chorus when you really start to get a very rocky feel to the song and even then it isn't until the first bridge where you get the distortion coming in. Biffy Clyro really experiment on this album with what instruments they use together and how each instrument is played. The album has a hidden track "4/15ths" which is a beautiful track when put together, it is a perfect example of how Simon blends distortion and an orchestra well having both subtle and very powerful elements to the track.

The middle section as a whole is very pop-y for the Biff. At this point, Biffy Clyro where trying to capture the American market and so had to make their music that way to appeal to the wider audience but it for just seems to be the same as a lot of the songs on "Infinity Land" (their third album) - for example, "My Recovery Injection" has a nice reggae feel to it and is a nice easy track to listen to if you don't like rock. For the first time with "Puzzle", Biffy Clyro were writing songs you could actually dance to. Before, especially with "Blackened Sky" and "The Vertigo Of Bliss", the music was very good but very moody and was more something you would sit down and head-bang to rather than get up and dance to but this album really pushed the band forward. Although the album has quite a dark message about it, it has an overall major tonality about making it more appealing to the wider audience.

There is a beautiful end to this album with two of the most personal song Simon has ever written making up the finale. "Folding Stars" was written about his mother and how her death affected him and "Machines", the final song, is about him starting to be able to pick himself up again after his mother's death. "9/15ths" is an amazing piece of composing, although the lyrics never change (apart from the "4/15ths" bit), the use of strings  and the choir is so affective and it is for me one of the most absorbing pieces on the album.

All in all, this is an amazing album. If you were to ask me which Biffy Clyro album to get, I would definitely say "Puzzle" just because of the variety of music you get on in. This album was the beginning of a new era for Biffy, it was them leaving behind the moody headbanging music of before and saying "hello" to the future of arena tours and no.1 albums. If you haven't listened to this album, listen to it NOW, it is a hidden gem of a record!

9.5/10

To listen to "Saturday Superhouse", click here.

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Palma Violets Gig Review

Palma Violets

Having released a brilliant debut single "Best of Friends" and making the cove of NME last month, Palma Violets have become one of the most talked about new bands of 2012. When my friend told me she had tickets to see Palma Violets, I did think "who?" but ever since they have been in my face 24/7. One of the first things that hit me about PV was how catchy their debut single was. I have to say the first time I heard it I did think that they were just another indie band but the more I listened to it the more I fell in love with it - it really does get stuck in your head if your not careful and you find yourself screaming "I WANNA BE YOUR BESTFRIEND I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE MY GIRL!!" in fairly inappropriate place (for example: over Sunday dinner or during "Downton Abbey"). The more I listened to PV the more excited I got about their gig.

The venue wasn't what I was expecting because it was in the Scholar @ Leicester O2 Academy instead of the actual stage but it was a nice venue, it felt very laid back because it was basically the University's student bar and in the next room people were playing poker and playing piano in practice rooms. They're were three bands in total making the gig very good value for money.

Unfortunately, I can't remember much about the first band apart from they were a Leicester band who were very loud, didn't put breaks in their songs and their drummer looked just like my English teacher. They were a decent band and did about a half an hour set all in all. It may have just been were I was standing or a bad technician but I couldn't hear the lead singer that well but it was clear to me that they liked their heavy guitar and drum beats.

Childhood

Childhood were the next band to come on and they were very good! The lead singer seemed completely wasted saying things like "If this barrier wasn't here, I would come and kiss all your faces...". They had a slightly dreamier feel about them, they were very calm and relaxed compared to the first band but still kept the audience entertained with smooth guitars. I didn't know Childhood were playing and it was the first time I'd heard them at all never mind live. As first impressions go, they made a very good one - I even considered buying a t-shirt but the promo guy was a little bit overenthusiastic for me. I think the lead singer was chuffed when the audience started chanting at him "ARE YOU HENDRIX IN DISGUISE?" when he was setting up one of PV's microphones before their encore. One of the things I like about smaller bands is that they make the most of their gigs. Whilst childhood were on, Palma Violets were in the audience enjoying the gig as much as everyone else was and helped Childhood when the microphone fell over. Whilst Childhood were on their was a real sense of togetherness between the audience and the bands.

Onto Palma Violets. When PV came on, as you would imagine with any other band, the crowd went a bit mental. Unfortunately because I'm quite short, I couldn't see much of the band because of drunk students jumping up and down and trying to get on stage but this was actually quite a good thing because it gave me the opportunity to focus on their sound not their image. Overall, their sound was very good, you could argue that they were a bit like any other indie band these days but there was something I can't put my finger on which gave them a bit of an edge, they sounded a bit like the Vaccines vocals wise and for me the guitar wasn't anything special in terms of originality but had a little something that made them fresher than some of the indie bands out there at the minute - thinking about it, I think it may have been the use of synths and FX through out the gig.

One of the best things about the gig was the atmosphere. I felt very comfortable at the gig, there was a range of people, whether you were a teenager or a middle aged balding man, all there for different reasons but there to enjoy a night of good music and a bit of a laugh. You had the mental diehard gig lovers trying to get on stage and picking a fight with everybody who bumped into them and then you had the people who were there just to listen standing nearer the back like there is at any other gig but all in all it was just a good laugh.

Overall, the gig was a very good gig. For £7 you're not going to argue with seeing three bands, one of which is one of the biggest new bands of the year and two very good other ones. The atmosphere was good and nobody took themselves too seriously and so would mix with the fans without a body guard or whatever. If you ask me, I'd say your an idiot if you don't go and see Palma Violets now when they are asking so little for a ticket because I do honestly believe that once they have released an album or two they will be huge and will be asking way more for you to see them and if they're not a success and they're just another band that the magazines are chewing up and spitting back out then a night out for under a tenner is good value if you ask me so what have you got to lose?

To get information on Palma Violets future gigs, click here.

I apologise that this post is nearly a week late, I never had the chance to sit down and write it down properly but it's here now!!

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October Top 10 Tracks - Palma Violets Gig Review Coming Soon (Update)

"Weights & Measures" - Dry the River
Artwork 

I realized that I haven't posted in a while because it's taking me ages to write the Palma Violets review so I thought I'd amuse you with a top 10 in the meantime instead. It's moving into winter and we need some good pick me up songs to keep us going and do here is my little list:

10. "We Are Not Good People" - Bloc Party
9. "Last Of The Summer Wine" - Palma Violets
8. "Lightning Bolt" - Jake Bugg
7.  "All In Vain! - The Vaccines
6. "Stingin' Belle" - Biffy Clyro
5. "Best Of Friends" - Palma Violets
4. "Simple As This" - Jake Bugg
3. "Riot Song" - Pure Love
2. "Haul Away" - Mark Knopfler
1. "Weights & Measures" - Dry the River

To listen to "Weights & Measures" go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5g-DeG0MJc

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Prodigy Fan? Tour Announcement Today!

Today, Prodigy are said to be announcing their latest tour of the U.K. The band announced this via Facebook yesterday saying, "UK fans make sure you sign-up to the mailing-list as we have a big live announcement coming for you on Tuesday.". The band are currently working on their 6th studio album which has the working title of "How To Steal A Jet Fighter" and so the gig/gigs will probably have something to do with the album's release. 

For more info go to Prodigy's website and stay tuned to social networking sites. If you are interested, join their mailing list for possible pre-sale details.

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Biffy Clyro - Spring Arena Tour Announced

Opposites Album Artwork

Well, I got some very good news when I got in from Palma Violets last night. I sat down with my cup of tea (Yes. Very rock and roll, I know!) and logged into Facebook to update my "friends" on what I had been up to over the past few hours when I found a very exciting picture published by Biffy Clyro's Facebook page. THEIR GOING ON TOUR!!! As you my know already, Biffy Clyro are without a doubt my favourite band in the world and so you can imagine my excitement. Their gigs will be held from 20th March to 3rd April 2013 and tickets officially go on sale on Friday (Pre-sale on Wednesday for "Team Biffy" members). The dates are as follows:

Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (March 20, 2013)
Birmingham LG Arena (21)
Cardiff Motorpoint Arena (22)
Sheffield Motorpoint Arena (23)
Manchester Arena (25)
Bournemouth International Centre (26)
Dublin The O2 (28)
Belfast Odyssey Arena (29)
Aberdeen AECC (31)
Glasgow SECC (April 1)
London The O2 (3)

Biffy released their new album's artwork over the weekend and the album is out on January 28th. This is their 6th studio album and this will be their 2nd arena tour. MON THE BIFF!

For more information on the tour go to Biffy's website: http://www.biffyclyro.com/

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Jesus Christ Superstar Review

Without listening, watching or performing Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice's "Jesus Christ Superstar", people make the assumption the the musical is a hippy-dippy church fest play that is trying to make the Bible cool. This really isn't true in fact, both Lloyd Webber and Rice are atheists and the play has very few Biblical references.

The musical is more about rebellion and wanting freedom than anything else. When it was written in 1970, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice wanted the musical to reflect on the relations between Jesus and Judas, not the religious message, and the issues facing Jerusalem at the of the events. When it was released it caused great controversy because for the first time, the death of Jesus was being told in an unbiased way.

I think the reason that the musical and film have been given this label of being overly religious is because the musical was always set in Jerusalem and everyone looked very Biblical in all of the productions. The way that the new production is to me a breath of fresh air for the musical and has reinvented how people see it.

Although it sounds very cheesy, the setting for the new production was a modern day British city and it was all based on the Occupy movement which cause controversy earlier this year. Yes, you may sneer but it really was cleverly done because at the end of the day, Jesus was the Che Guevara of his day (minus the "I'm the Son of God thing...). The high priest were portrayed as a kind of MI5 kind of thing and Pilot was a barrister. Judas (played by Tim Minchin) and Mary (played by Mel C) were your stereotypical socialist protesters (i.e: dreadlocks and political t-shirts) but Jesus (played but Ben Forster) looked a little bit like a posh boy who was rebelling against his Tory parents by joining a socialist organisation and strangely enough like Syed Massood from Eastenders. 

Tim Minchin as Judas was fantastic. The last musical I thought he would get involved in was "Jesus Christ Superstar", if you have ever seen one of his shows, you will know his views on God and religious people. Personally, I think Tim Minchin is one of the best Judases there has been over the past 40 years, he put in so much emotion and his death scene truly was heart breaking. Minchin really surprised me, I knew to some extent he could act because he is a comedian, that is what you have to do but he really did take it to another level in his performance.

One of the most beautiful songs in the musical is "I Don't Know How To Love Him" and for me in order for the production to be a success, Mary Magdalene has to nail this piece. I have to say, if I had to choose a bit of the musical I loved the most, it had to be this song. Mel C did a brilliant job portraying this song and Mary. To do Mary Magdalene well, you need to have the voice for it, you have to be able to be so gentle but also be able to turn on that power in a heartbeat and Mel really did nail it. You must also be able to act like Judas, the message behind the song is being to scared to fall in love and so you really need to show that when you perform it. The way the director portrayed this piece was simple yet very affective, it really was just her, audience and the music which really did create a lovely atmosphere which reflected the song.

Herod, is one of my favourite characters in the musical. Unlike the Bible's portrayal, Andrew and Tim created an eccentric light hearted character who adds a bit of humour to the show. Chris Moyles, surprisingly played Herod very well. They made the setting for "Herod's Song" a kind of game show thing and of course Herod was the host. Herod was portrayed in this production as sharp and classy, he had everyone falling at his feet and everyone on stage loved him. I thought they did really well to make that part of the show fit because in the original film, it seems a bit out of place - it seems like they drag Jesus miles away for one little song and dance and then make him treck back and it seems a little bit pointless but in the show it flows nicely and doesn't seem out of place. Although only having one song, Moyles made the most of it and was very entertaining and I think he surprised a lot of people because of how much of a good job he did.

Nobody will ever be able to convince me Ben Forster was the right choice for Jesus. Personally, I feel doing a T.V show to find the new Jesus was a clumsy move because it wasn't the die hard fans who chose Jesus, it was the general public. I do not believe for a minute that the show's fans would really choose Ben as their main man, throughout the show, Ben over acted EVERYTHING and watching him was a little bit draining and disappointingly, he did the same in the production. Although he nailed "Gethsemane", I couldn't help but feel he was trying a bit to hard. It seemed to me he was trying a bit to hard to be Ted Neeley but was struggling to do it. When ever he tried to sound angry, he would squeal so he sounded like a stroppy toddler. At one point, he made my Aunt laugh he was squealing so much. Yes he could sing the slow songs brilliantly and was a very good Jesus, I couldn't help but think someone else from the could have done a better job.

All in all, the show was one of the best things I've ever seen. It was really nice to see my favourite musical brought into the 21st Century and given a new lease of life. I really would go and see this version of the musical again and would urge anyone else to go and see it as well.

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Biffy Clyro Album Artwork Unveiling

The band's teaser album cover
 (I think it's nice enough to be the cover)

As you know, I'm a huge Biffy fan and I'm so excited about their 6th studio album "Opposites" which will be getting released on 28th January next year. The band are going to unveil their new artwork in the near future but the need their fans help. If, like me you are a Biffy fan, get to: http://www.biffyclyro.com/opposites/sp_rid=MjY4NzM1NTg1NDkS1&sp_mid=40143186&eml=40143186 and get tweeting because the more people tweet it, the quicker we all get to see it.

The artwork is displayed on the website and it currently 86% full. Lets get it to 100 by the end of the day!!!

Mon the Biff!

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Why I love Morrissey

When I'm asked about Morrissey, the one thing I always say is "I hate my parents because they grew up in the 80s. I would have love to have grown up in the 80s because I could be very much in love with Morrissey without it being creepy.".

Now you may now say that I would not like to have live 30 years ago. Thatcherism had taken over Britain and everyone was depressed because the Tories were cruel, merciless arseholes and didn't give a crap about your everyday working class family but I would answer you with the question, how different is that from today?

"I've been dreaming of a time when the English are sick to death of Labour and Tories, and spit upon the name of Oliver Cromwell and denounce this royal line that still salute him and will salute him forever" - Irish Blood, English Heart.

The thing I love most about Morrissey is that he isn't scared to tell you what he thinks, especially when it come to politics. When it comes to politics, Morrissey hates everything to do with it, having criticized both the Labour and Conservative parties in the past. One of the best things I think he has done politicly has backed Johnny Marr when he forbade David Cameron for liking the Smiths saying, "I would like to, if I may, offer support to Johnny Marr who has spoken out to the media this week against David Cameron. David Cameron hunts and shoots and kills stags – apparently for pleasure. It was not for such people that either Meat Is Murder or The Queen Is Dead were recorded; in fact, they were made as a reaction against such violence.". I agree with Morrissey and have had to remind people that they cannot like the Smiths and vote Tory at the same time because it goes against everything the Smiths stood for.

"Close your eyes and think of someone you physically admire and let me kiss you, let me kiss you" - Let Me Kiss You

Morrissey is obviously a tortured soul when it comes to love. Having never had a partner who has been open to the public and never stated his sexuality, it is easy to understand why people may think he is gay. Although never publicly revealing a relationship, Morrissey writes some of the most beautiful love songs of all time and I get the impression that he has had his heart well and truly broken at some stage in his life to be able to write such works of art. If there is one thing I love about Morrissey it is this: every time I hear his music, my heart really does go out to him. Every song is like a new chapter in a book of his heartbreak whether that is him having a good old moan or having a day were it's unbearable.

Throughout my life, Morrissey has been threaded through in different places. The man didn't just influence my Dad's music taste and political view when he was my age but he is also influencing mine and thousands of other peoples lives 30 years on and will continue to do so for years to come.

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Starkid Productions - Summary

Before the days of Glee, Darren Criss (Blaine) was a humble student at Michigan University who had a dream. One day, he decided he wanted to start a theatre company within the University and so got his friends Brian Holden, Matt Lang and Nick Lang together and Starkid was born!

In 2009, the boys showed their first musical. They combined their talent and love of Harry Potter to create A Very Potter Musical and with the help of their friends in the Theatre, Music & Dance department of their University created one of the best American musicals of the 21st century.

Since 2009, Starkid have gone on to create five more musicals including a sequel to AVPM and are due to release the third of the Very Potter Musical series in the near future. Their latest musical, Holy Musical Batman, has had over 900,000 views on youtube since it's release in the spring. The group have had to successful US tours and have been the main attraction at LeakyCon for the past two years.

Starkid Productions is one of my favourite theatre groups of all time. They combine my love for the Harry Potter franchise with music. Darren Criss is now a pin up for all Gleeks having been in the show for 2 years playing Blaine Anderson and Starkid Productions is now an established theatre company based in Chicago. A lot of the members of Starkid Productions are involved in a side project called Jim and the Povolos (named after the Starkid member Jim Povolo) and released their first EP earlier this year.

Check out Starkid if you love cheesy music that makes you smile all day, they really are all geniuses in their own special way and they are a theatre group that deserve a place in everyone's hearts.

To go to Starkid's website, click here: http://www.teamstarkid.com/
To listen to Jim and the Povolos, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv2VnniCp6o&feature=related

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Spector Album Review

I have dedicated this week to listening to the albums I'd bought but never got the chance to look at. One of those albums was Spector's debut album "Enjoy It While It Lasts" which as debut albums go, is a nice album.

Spector are form London and is made up of Fred Macpherson on vocals (former vocalist for Les Incompétents and Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man), Christopher Burman on guitar, Thomas Shickle on bass, Jed Cullen on synths and guitar and Danny Blandy on drums. The band formed last year and have been causing a tir ever since.

I will start off by saying, the album is very good for a first go. The thing I like about the album is they are not trying to be anybody new and they are not trying to be something they're not. Nowadays, there are loads of bands who are completely up their own arses about their music and think it's the answer to everybody's problems but Spector are very happy to just go with it. They know for a fact that what they have as a sound isn't any thing new and don't really care, with synths taken straight for the Killers, vocal styles taken straight from the Vaccines and catchy choruses taken from the Wombats. 

Everything about the album screams to me 80s. In my notes, I don't think I went through a single song without thinking that I was back in the days of cool synths and moody song writing. The slower songs are very haunting and the core message of the song does really stay in your head.

Each song has a nice structure to it, if there is one thing this band is good at, it's writing middle 8s. At the start of most of the songs you get a gentle introduction into the song and then they will smack you in the face with a nice big fat chorus that sticks in your head all day and then in the middle they will tone it down into a nice instrumental before building it all back up again. 

The album as a whole has a nice poppy feel to it. This isn't not album for those who want guitars galore, this the album for someone who like to be upbeat and have a good time. If I had to give a negative, I'd say it lacks variety, every song seems to be a bit samey but all in all, a good album and a good band.

8/10

Recommended tracks: Lay Low, No Adventure.

Listen to if you like: The Wombats, The Vaccines, The Killers

To listen to their music, here is a link to their youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/spector?feature=results_main

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Super Blogging!!!

Usually, because I'm a teenager, I have to go to school during the week but tomorrow, I have the day off so I'll add some new posts up which may include:

• Spector Album Review
• All The Young Album Review
• Why Morrissey is AMAZING

Depends on whether I'm tired or not to be honest but these posts will be up at some point in the near future if not tomorrow!

Bye now!!

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Jake Bugg and Mark Knopfler Album Reviews Coming Soon

I am in the process of writing album reviews for both Mark Knopfler and Jake Bugg. These should be done for next week at some point.

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The Vaccines Gig Review Coming Soon

In the near future, I will be seeing the Vaccines. As they are one of the bands of the moment, I will of course be reviewing the gig.

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Why I'm Excited About Pure Love's New Album

Pure Love are one of my favourite new bands. With their debut album "Anthems" already being delayed until early next year, I am overflowing with excitement because of the sheer brilliance of their first three singles ("Bury My Bones", "Handsome Devil's Club" and "Riot Club".

Who are Pure Love?

Pure Love are the AMAZING upcoming British/American duo made up of former Gallows frontman Frank Carter and ex-Hope Conspiracy and Suicide File's guitarist Jim Carroll. The bands sound is different from their punk-hardcore backgrounds.

The band, who formed after Frank left Gallows after creative differences, have already supported Biffy Clyro (Hail them!) at their one off warm up gig in Swindon at the start of the summer and were due to support Pulled Apart By Horses on their November tour which has since been cancelled.

Pure Love are going on their first solo tour this Autumn, which I sadly don't have tickets for (sob sob!) and are definitely a band to look out for in the future.

To listen to my personal favourite Pure Love song go to - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjFV6BfV8nY

To but their singles go to iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/pure-love/id529867833

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Ted vs Ben: Jesus Christ Superstar Review Coming Soon

As said in my first post, I'm a massive fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber and  in particular, Jesus Christ Superstar. After watching ITV 1s "Superstar", I questioned whether anyone could beat the one and only Ted Neeley. I will be seeing the new production of the musical and will compare it with original film.

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Dry the River Gig Review Coming Soon!

As you my have seen, my first review was on Dry the River's debut album "Shallow Bed". Within the next few months I will be seeing Dry the River live and will be reviewing the gig for the blog.

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Why I love Paloma Faith

Paloma Faith is THAT sound that you just have to love. Out of all my idols, Paloma Faith is no. 1, why?
It is very easy for me to say what it is about Paloma Faith that I love because there is so much I could say. Firstly, she is a genuine artist, she has come up all the way from the bottom to success and she hasn't done it for the fame and fortune either. She has done it because performing is what she loves.

Another point to make is that she isn't scared to be different. I don't think a month goes by when she's not in the magazines for doing/wearing something eccentric. Her music is also very different, I know she is influenced by Billie Holliday and Etta James and that really comes through in her song writing (especially her debut album "Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?") .

Something I really love is that she doesn't just sing, she performs. I've seen her twice now and both times she hasn't just sat there and sang, she has interacted with the audience. The first time I saw her, she picked out a little boy from the audience and sang "Romance is Dead" holding his hand for the whole song. The second time, she sat on the piano and sang "Just Be" and went into massive detail on what the song was about. She has a real connection with her audience and is unbelievable live.

I find that a massive thing for Paloma, is her songs. She hasn't had them written for her, she writes about real situations and her life. Both her albums have been like mini autobiographies giving the listener a real insight into her life. Her songs have a real affect on the listener, every single song she has recorded means a different thing to me whether it is heartbreak or amazing memories, there is always a song to suit your mood.

Over the past few years, Paloma Faith has been a key member of the group of musicians who have influenced how I perform and live my life. If it wasn't for Paloma, I don't think I would have the confidence to be able to stand on a stage and perform. She really is my idol.

Here is the link to her latest single, "Never Tear Us Apart" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCYtesyE7OA

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Dry the River - "Shallow Bed" Review

I thought I'd start my reviews with one of my favourite albums of the year "Shallow Bed" by Dry the River.

Dry the River - Shallow Bed

Dry the River are a folk/rock band from London who combine beautiful music with beautiful stories. Peter Liddle, the lead singer, has one of the most melodic voices of the industry and just captures you in your own thoughts for the whole album.

I will be honest, I'm only a Dry the River fan because of Fearne Cotton and Radio 1. My mum heard them one day whilst in the car and raced home to tell me about them, I listened to their only single at the time "No Rest" and I was hooked!

The album starts off with "Animal Skins" which if you ask me, is a bit of a marmite song to put at the start of the album (you'll either love it there or hate it there). For me, the first track is GENIUS, it makes the album seem like it is really working right from the start. The first track just puts you right in there at the heart of the action and leaves a lasting impression on the listener because you can't help but think, it is a very brave move for a debut album.

Through out the album, the band has a massive sense of togetherness. One of the things I love most about this band/album, is they really aren't scared to push the boundaries of folk and rock. Whether it is adding in a distorted guitar with a fiddle or all breaking into song in the final chorus, the are constantly looking for ways to make their sound a lot bigger.

Story telling is a massive part of folk and a huge part of this album. The songs are like poetry and every word that is said in this album is meant.

Religion is threaded through out the album which I think really adds to the poetic element of the whole record. The vocals in the album have a feel of church choirs about them, the delicate tone is in perfect harmony with the power of the record's messages.

The instruments used, range from amazing percussion to intricate strumming of the guitar. The fiddle is always there with horns and creates a beautiful foundation for each song. The use of guitars is really clever, personally, I would have never put an electric guitar with a fiddle but on this album, it really works! It's always nice to hear more percussion than your crash symbols and heavy snare. Although mostly the percussion is a basic drum kit, you get those moments when they use the glockenspiel to give a nice extra something to the percussion section.

This band are absolutely Mumford and Sons for the real music lover. They are just heavenly, it is 100% that album to put on whilst on a long road trip to keep you entertained. This album is like a book being read to you through a melody and considering it is a debut album, I'm so excited to hear what they've got next for us. This is an album to treasure and keep safe forever and ever!

9/10

Recommended tracks: "Bible Belt" "No Rest" and "Weights and Measures"

Listen to if you like: Mumford and Sons, Waterboys, Folk in general!!

Here is a link to their latest track "New Ceremony" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCJ22QQTWtM&list=PL12D61D88D56291F0&index=1&feature=plcp

To buy the album go to - http://www.itunes.com/drytheriver

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Dad's Smiths Gig

It really interested me that my Dad was at this gig. The Smiths, 1985, The Barrowlands, Glasgow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QUdSrVXRCg

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Palma Violets Gig Review Coming Soon!

Palma Violets Fan? Within the next few weeks, I will be seeing them and I will be reviewing the gig for the blog. If you have no clue who they are, there is a link below to their debut single "Best of Friends". I would strongly recommend a listen.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poFXWUTEs1k

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Twitter

If people could follow my new twitter account for this page it would be appreciated... The link is

https://twitter.com/thelecmangoclub

Thank you!!

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Top 10 Bands

I thought I'd start with an easy post so you know what to expect from me in the future. My parents have had a massive influence on what I listen to. From a young age I listened to the likes of the Smiths and Sex Pistols as well as the Pet Shop Boys etc and I have made my own discoveries within the music world opening my horizons to Biffy Clyro and Kasabian. This is actually going to be harder than I first though...

10. Pet Shop Boys
9.  Waterboys
8. Nirvana
7. Foo Fighters
6. The Smiths
5. Dry The River
4. Oasis
3. The Vaccines
2. Kasabian
1. Biffy Clyro

To be honest, this is nothing serious, my favourite bands change around a lot! Just missing out were bands like Pure Love, Tribes, The Jam and Sex Pistols.

Biffy Clyro

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What Did You Expect From The Electric Mango Club?

Hello, this is my blog and my first post. This isn't a scheme to make money or achieve fame. It is simply for me to share my love of music with the world.

Whether it is Andrew Lloyd Webber or Sex Pistols, this blog will be full of my thoughts on gigs, albums, artists and music news as well as upcoming bands from my local area, Leicestershire.

I would appreciate any support, thank you for looking!

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