Twin Atlantic have experienced a rapid rise to fame most Scottish bands can only dream of, and only a handful have actually achieved. The Glasgow quartet first stormed to my attention after supporting Biffy Clyro at their sold out show at this exact venue three years ago. They must have realised at that point that supporting some of the biggest bands in the world (Blink-182, Angels and Airwaves, My Chemical Romance et al) would no doubt boost their popularity, and this is confirmed no end with the Ironworks packed out to capacity (a later tweet from the band confirmed all tickets kept back on the door had sold).
However it hasn't exactly been an easy road to travel for the band to make such gains. In a recent interview singer Sam Mctrusty (the most trustable name in the business) voiced his frustrations at playing 30 minute sets every night. On the eve of releasing "debut" album 'Free' (apparently 2009's 'Vivarium' was a "mini-album") Twin Atlantic have stepped out from the torture of watching bigger bands from the wings and into the spotlight, playing in front of packed houses most nights and indeed selling out tonight's show.
Taking stage are four far less hairy Scots than on each of the many occasions I have seen Twin previously, it would seem a slightly more approachable look perhaps helps on the road to success. Opening with the double header of new album singles 'Free' and 'Edit Me' it is plain to see the power pop rockers have honed their live show in recent months. Where before they seemed to throw songs together on a setlist before coming on stage in a "we've written 8 or so good songs, here they are" sort of way, there is a feeling of consideration for both new album tracks and older songs which this crowd recognise instantly.
Although the album is not out for another few hours, many at the gig seem guilty of internet misbehaviour (I don't condone any illegal downloading) as they sing along to tracks like 'Time For You To Stand Up' and 'The Ghost of Eddie' - a personal favourite of mine from the album, if Dave Grohl had grown up in Glasgow the Foo Fighters would sound a lot like this track.
Of course "the classics" are received with more enthusiasm than this venue's seen in a long time. 'Lightspeed' 'Audience and Audio' and 'What Is Light, Where Is Laughter' all have great cases to the title of 'Best Live Scottish Song' and the band's unmistakable nationalism is clear when Sam Mctrusty asks for a Scotland flag to be passed to the stage. As a chant of 'Scotland! Scotland!' goes up and it all very nearly becomes extremely cringeworthy Sam exclaims "This is turning into something from a f**king Runrig concert!"
Ending a triumphant night with the anti-American 'You're Turning Into John Wayne' Twin Atlantic exit the stage safe in the thought that a new chapter of the band's life has begun. They have taken the first steps to real stardom with this new air they seem to have about them, a serious approach to making music their full time occupation. And anyway, I'm sure even Biffy Clyro played more than their fair share of support slots.
9/10
'Free' is out now on Red Bull Records
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Glasvegas, The Loft, Forres
Remember Glasvegas? I know with the untamable amounts of music available these days it's tricky not to forget bands after one album but Glasvegas seem to have a resonance with me (probably because I have a 6 foot poster of their debut album's artwork on my bedroom wall, but that's besides the point). Back with an almost finished second album entitled 'Euphoric Heartbreak' and new Swedish drummer, Glasvegas have hit the road once again. However rather than playing Wembley, Hampden and the Millenium Stadium like their last U.K tour, this time they're playing off the beaten track with intimate gigs in places like Orkney, Dunoon, Troon and tonight - The Loft, Forres.
James Allan steps onstage all in white, a welcome change from his usual funeralesque 'man in black' image, and immediately the Glasgow (of course) quartet blast into a track from the forthcoming album, 'The World Is Yours' - a frenzy of their classic wall-of-noise guitar effect used so much in the self titled debut but with an additional newfound technicality.
It's impossible not to notice James on stage. He has all the swagger of Liam Gallagher (except not with the same cockiness and a whole lot more talent) and seems lost in the songs as he stoops and bends around the microphone. His new look does not, thankfully, include a new pair of sunglasses as his jet black Ray Bans stay on throughout the set - very rock 'n' roll. As the gig goes on he strips to a white tank top (or "wife-beater" as they're known) to complete the East End of Glasgow look. After he stands on his monitor and stares around the room, as if sizing up the crowd before downing his beer during the opening riff of 'Geraldine' - soundtrack to winter 2008 and BBC's Sportscene. It is, of course, a true man-off-the-street anthem written from the point of view of a Glaswegian social worker. Along with 'Daddy's Gone' and 'It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry' it is Scottish songwriting at it's very best.
So what's different about the new material? The addition of drummer Jonna Löfgren (okay, i copied and pasted her surname, you got me!) is a vast improvement. Don't get me wrong, Caroline McKay's caveman beats helped make some of the aforementioned alternative Scottish national anthems perfectly simple, however a change was needed for album number two. Nowhere is this more clear than mid-way through the show as 'Shine Like Stars' makes it's tentative first steps out of the rehersal/recording studio and onto the stage. Featuring a brilliant, up tempo beat from the Swede (it's easier if i call her 'The Swede', it saves more pasting) it is clear Glasvegas have decided to take their music to a catchier level - keeping from plodding along like 'Glasvegas' - the album - did at times.
The Glaswegians end with a quadruple of first album tracks that sees 'Flowers and Football Tops' join the others in becoming rightful national treasures. The ultimate fighting song 'Go Square Go' is gloriously fiesty and gets a chant along and the heart wrenching 'Daddy's Gone' features the band stop playing for two choruses as the mostly intoxicated crowd sing about how James' Dad left when he was a kid - it can't be good for his self esteem, having 500 people singing "he's gone, he's gone, he's gone" over and over at him. After a couple of minutes of mostly incoherent chat to the crowd (my East End dialect isn't very good) James gets the sound guy to come on for a cameo appearance ("he's aw-weys bin wi' us, right fae the start"). They finish with the debut's closer 'Ice Cream Van' which would usually have been rather a dull last song had it not been for one last burst from all members.
Gallantly leaving the stage to beery cheers and applauds, the band can finish the album knowing it stands the live test in intimate surroundings. I for one am extremely excited for 'Euphoric Heartbreak ' and a second Mercury nomination may be on its way. Now come on, all together now - "A WON'T BE THE LONELAY WAN, SITTIN OAN MA OWN UN SAD"
James Allan steps onstage all in white, a welcome change from his usual funeralesque 'man in black' image, and immediately the Glasgow (of course) quartet blast into a track from the forthcoming album, 'The World Is Yours' - a frenzy of their classic wall-of-noise guitar effect used so much in the self titled debut but with an additional newfound technicality.
It's impossible not to notice James on stage. He has all the swagger of Liam Gallagher (except not with the same cockiness and a whole lot more talent) and seems lost in the songs as he stoops and bends around the microphone. His new look does not, thankfully, include a new pair of sunglasses as his jet black Ray Bans stay on throughout the set - very rock 'n' roll. As the gig goes on he strips to a white tank top (or "wife-beater" as they're known) to complete the East End of Glasgow look. After he stands on his monitor and stares around the room, as if sizing up the crowd before downing his beer during the opening riff of 'Geraldine' - soundtrack to winter 2008 and BBC's Sportscene. It is, of course, a true man-off-the-street anthem written from the point of view of a Glaswegian social worker. Along with 'Daddy's Gone' and 'It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry' it is Scottish songwriting at it's very best.
So what's different about the new material? The addition of drummer Jonna Löfgren (okay, i copied and pasted her surname, you got me!) is a vast improvement. Don't get me wrong, Caroline McKay's caveman beats helped make some of the aforementioned alternative Scottish national anthems perfectly simple, however a change was needed for album number two. Nowhere is this more clear than mid-way through the show as 'Shine Like Stars' makes it's tentative first steps out of the rehersal/recording studio and onto the stage. Featuring a brilliant, up tempo beat from the Swede (it's easier if i call her 'The Swede', it saves more pasting) it is clear Glasvegas have decided to take their music to a catchier level - keeping from plodding along like 'Glasvegas' - the album - did at times.
The Glaswegians end with a quadruple of first album tracks that sees 'Flowers and Football Tops' join the others in becoming rightful national treasures. The ultimate fighting song 'Go Square Go' is gloriously fiesty and gets a chant along and the heart wrenching 'Daddy's Gone' features the band stop playing for two choruses as the mostly intoxicated crowd sing about how James' Dad left when he was a kid - it can't be good for his self esteem, having 500 people singing "he's gone, he's gone, he's gone" over and over at him. After a couple of minutes of mostly incoherent chat to the crowd (my East End dialect isn't very good) James gets the sound guy to come on for a cameo appearance ("he's aw-weys bin wi' us, right fae the start"). They finish with the debut's closer 'Ice Cream Van' which would usually have been rather a dull last song had it not been for one last burst from all members.
Gallantly leaving the stage to beery cheers and applauds, the band can finish the album knowing it stands the live test in intimate surroundings. I for one am extremely excited for 'Euphoric Heartbreak ' and a second Mercury nomination may be on its way. Now come on, all together now - "A WON'T BE THE LONELAY WAN, SITTIN OAN MA OWN UN SAD"
Friday, 5 November 2010
Kris Drever, John McCusker + Roddy Woomble
The Holy Trinity of modern day traditional Scottish music (Kris Drever, John McCusker and Roddy Woomble) are currently on a mini tour, the last of their performances coming off the back of their debut album together, 2008’s ‘Before The Ruin’. Tonight’s attempt by The Ironworks to change their venue from the cavernous space it is to a moody, dimly lit folk club is well appreciated: tables and candles make a nice addition to the vast venue.
Hailing from the Orkney Isles, Kris Drever is a man whose voice betrays his years. To listen to his gruff, baritone voice would lead you to think he is one of last century’s traditional folk singers; however he is more of a contemporary, with his music branching out with a more Americana and occasionally Bluesy tinge. He opens tonight with ‘Steel and Stone (Black Water)’ from his solo debut ‘Black Water’ with John McCusker accompanying him on fiddle and Roddy Woomble doing what he does best on stage: looking around awkwardly and (probably) regretting he never took up an instrument so he could join in. Drever's intricate guitar work is made to look effortless and he is obviously a man who knows his trade. It’s not until ‘Into The Blue’ from the trio’s album that Roddy Woomble (best known for being the singer in Idlewild, arguably the most consistent Scottish indie band of the last fifteen years) displays his dulcet tones. His songwriting is almost poetic at times, and the one constant within it is his great ability to write the perfect chorus. With Idlewild I am certain there is not one bad chorus written and his transition to Scottish folk is seamless. What follows is a set of songs built up over the last five years or so under various projects and solo albums. ‘My Secret Is My Silence’ and ‘Waverly Steps’ from Roddy Woomble’s first venture into folk music fit in perfectly between a selection of songs from both of Drever’s albums.
Even John McCusker, more suited to backing bands up and guest starring on albums, gets his moment in the spotlight as the Idlewild man makes his way to the side of a stage. Drever and McCusker are left to show off their musical talents and the chemistry between them is evident as they blast their way through a number of “wee tunes” that John has written for various people over the past few years. However before the tables are thrown aside and The Ironworks turns into a full blown ceilidh Roddy comes back on stage to “bring the mood back down”. He is the ultimate shy, composed (some would say awkward) artist. He sits with his legs crossed in the middle of the stage, staring at the ground or playing with his hair. He is renowned for standing side stage when he plays with Idlewild when an instrumental section is in full swing, although there is none of that mid-song wandering tonight.
Ending the expertly chosen set with my personal favourite of the trio’s ‘Moments Last Forever’, Drever’s Pogues inspired ‘Poor Man’s Son’ and the delicate ‘Stuck In Time’, the three slide off stage with the promise of Woomble returning in January with a solo show and a new album. One must hope they return all together in the near future with a new album of their own.
8/10
Hailing from the Orkney Isles, Kris Drever is a man whose voice betrays his years. To listen to his gruff, baritone voice would lead you to think he is one of last century’s traditional folk singers; however he is more of a contemporary, with his music branching out with a more Americana and occasionally Bluesy tinge. He opens tonight with ‘Steel and Stone (Black Water)’ from his solo debut ‘Black Water’ with John McCusker accompanying him on fiddle and Roddy Woomble doing what he does best on stage: looking around awkwardly and (probably) regretting he never took up an instrument so he could join in. Drever's intricate guitar work is made to look effortless and he is obviously a man who knows his trade. It’s not until ‘Into The Blue’ from the trio’s album that Roddy Woomble (best known for being the singer in Idlewild, arguably the most consistent Scottish indie band of the last fifteen years) displays his dulcet tones. His songwriting is almost poetic at times, and the one constant within it is his great ability to write the perfect chorus. With Idlewild I am certain there is not one bad chorus written and his transition to Scottish folk is seamless. What follows is a set of songs built up over the last five years or so under various projects and solo albums. ‘My Secret Is My Silence’ and ‘Waverly Steps’ from Roddy Woomble’s first venture into folk music fit in perfectly between a selection of songs from both of Drever’s albums.
Even John McCusker, more suited to backing bands up and guest starring on albums, gets his moment in the spotlight as the Idlewild man makes his way to the side of a stage. Drever and McCusker are left to show off their musical talents and the chemistry between them is evident as they blast their way through a number of “wee tunes” that John has written for various people over the past few years. However before the tables are thrown aside and The Ironworks turns into a full blown ceilidh Roddy comes back on stage to “bring the mood back down”. He is the ultimate shy, composed (some would say awkward) artist. He sits with his legs crossed in the middle of the stage, staring at the ground or playing with his hair. He is renowned for standing side stage when he plays with Idlewild when an instrumental section is in full swing, although there is none of that mid-song wandering tonight.
Ending the expertly chosen set with my personal favourite of the trio’s ‘Moments Last Forever’, Drever’s Pogues inspired ‘Poor Man’s Son’ and the delicate ‘Stuck In Time’, the three slide off stage with the promise of Woomble returning in January with a solo show and a new album. One must hope they return all together in the near future with a new album of their own.
8/10
Thursday, 7 October 2010
The Xcerts - Scatterbrain
Sometimes an album is not just a group of people’s musical talent organized into 12 tracks. Sometimes the production process takes over a band’s creative flair and curves it into the producer’s own idea of what makes a good album. The Xcerts’ second full length ‘Scatterbrain’ is one of these albums. Thankfully however the producer in question, Mike Sapone, is one of modern rock music’s greats. From everything Brand New have released to the classic Taking Back Sunday album ‘Where You Want To Be’, via Public Enemy and The Early November, Sapone can be accredited to some of the decade’s finest rock albums. And now for the next decade; who knows what the next ten years will bring to rock music. However with albums like ‘Scatterbrain’ to kick us off it’s evident the next ten will be as good as the last.
The ‘proper’ opening/title track (prior to 'Scatterbrain' there is a minute of warped feedback, loud-hailer vocals and general haphazard noise) can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly it could be that one of Sapone’s last albums - Brand New’s 'Daisy' left behind a couple of demos and a load of equipment especially for the British trio to pick up where they left off… it seems unlikely but the sound is uncanny. Secondly this could be a sign of things to come: The Xcerts have ‘matured’. As singer Murray Macleod says in the press release “The first album was – as for most new bands – something of a 'greatest hits' from the band's early years” – a perfect blend of teenage angst, catchy melodies and most importantly a selection of great choruses whilst still retaining an edgier side. ‘Scatterbrain’ has done well do move on from ‘In The Cold Wind We Smile’. However where ‘In The Cold Wind…’ got the mixture of bassy riffs and melody spot on within each song ‘Scatterbrain’ struggles to hold the two as close together. Tracks like ‘Scatterbrain’, ‘Distant Memory’ and ‘Hurt With Me’ are fast paced, scuzzy and slightly all over the place, whereas ‘He sinks. He Sleeps’ and closer ‘Lament’ are shoe gazingly melodic. Both singles ‘Slackerpop’ and ‘Young (Belane)’ would have fit in well on ‘In The Cold Wind…’. Easily the catchiest and most likely song to get stuck in your head ‘Slackerpop’ will have you singing “I’ll be your man, I’ll be your mannequin” for hours.
Murray sums the album up pretty well: “This is an album lover’s album for the fans of the band. It’s not about a particular track or single and should be listened too as an entire body of work with an open mind. We hope everyone falls in love with it like we have.” I always knew The Xcerts had an album like this in them ever since the first time I saw them in a dingy local venue in front of about 50 people. Their live performances always did have an edge to them, a sort of sinister addition that when recording the band just couldn't seem to capture … until this album. ‘Scatterbrain’ – a brooding album album which patchily combines restless, angsty break downs with melancholic melodies.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
Laura Marling is part of the indie-folk revolution that has gripped new music for the last couple of years. It started when a small group of friends started helping each other out with their music; giving each other support slots at their gigs and playing various weird and wonderful instruments on their albums. This group of friends from
Laura Marling’s second album ‘I Speak Because I Can’ is the deepest, darkest and most mysterious of the lot. Complete with new “take me seriously” hair (her once pixie-like blonde locks have been dyed pitch black) this brooding masterpiece is like taking the darker tracks from Mumford & Sons’ outstanding ‘Sigh No More’ and adding the deepest Joni Mitchell vocals over it. Marling describes it as being based on “responsibility, particularly the responsibility of womanhood.” There are no real light hearted tracks, unlike her outstanding debut ‘Alas, I Cannot Swim’ which was scattered with cheery acoustic folk, although ‘the mature album’ seems too petty a judgement for such a good album, but it does sum it up plainly.
Produced by Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, and sadly THAT abomination of a Paolo Nuitini album – it still puts shivers down my spine) and with arguably the best new band of 2009 as her backing band (Mumford & Sons) it was destined to be a hit. If she wrote ‘Alas, I Cannot Swim’ when she was 16 and, for want of a better word, ‘immature’ in her songwriting then this was always going to be ‘the mature album’ and with the added load of a break up with Noah and the Whale singer (the band Marling started out with) it was destined to gloom… however Marling seems to do gloomy better than she does content!
Live ‘I Speak…’ is outstanding. Real hairs on the neck stuff. She is a true modern troubadour and her haunting voice and her solo guitar is fantastic. Highlights include the title track, the downright spooky ‘Devil’s Spoke’, ‘Goodbye
With Mumford & Sons beginning work on their new album, Laura Marling trying to get another album out by September and Jamie T back on the gigging scene, all I can say is viva la indie-folk-revoloution!
'I Speak Because I Can' is out now on Virgin Records.
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
NME Awards Tour 2010 - Glasgow Barrowlands
The NME has been at the forefront of new music for the last 60 years, but with new music becoming so readily available online, the magazine has kind of taken a back seat in the past decade or so. However the NME Awards Tour has always been an opportunity for NME to prove its worth in taste in new music and this year’s lineup is no different. The tour usually comprises of three of the best new artists around at the moment, and one fairly established band that NME have supported for a while.
The Big Pink are up next, the band I’m least excited to see as I’ve only heard their less than average one hit wonder ‘Dominos’. In an over the top, dry ice and laser show they arrive on stage. They trudge through a six song set filled with dreary, distortion filled tracks, coming to one great anti-climax in the form of ‘Dominos’. Definitely the low point of the evening and the best is definitely yet to come.
Bombay Bicycle Club prove with their 2009 debut that they are one of the most exciting new bands in
On release of their second album, ‘Wall of Arms’, The Maccabees turned from relatively unknown composers of fast paced yet romantic indie anthems to a genuinely heavyweight band, acquiring main stage slots at most of the major festivals last summer. They open their set with ‘William Powers’, one of the lesser known but better tracks from ‘Wall of Arms’. The three layered guitars and chanting vocals make for an extremely impressive opener. It’d be extremely hard to play every great song from both their albums… because there really is no filler in either of them. ‘X-Ray’ has probably the catchiest guitar line since most of Arctic Monkeys’ debut album; ‘Precious Time’ is one great big singalong and ‘No Kind Words’ is an eerie track, climaxing with yet another amazing guitar riff. A questionable cover of the 1983 Orange Juice hit ‘Rip It Up’ is really the only low-ish point in the set but they make up for it by playing a one song encore and highlight of the amazing second album, ‘Love You Better’. Definitely one of the best live sets I’ve seen in a long time, and with outstanding support (minus The Big Pink) this was definitely a night to remember.
Monday, 5 October 2009
Bloc Party - Inverness Ironworks
It’s hard to write about a band that I’ve loved so much for so long. Bloc Party have been my favourite band since I unwrapped 2005’s Silent Alarm on my 11th birthday and the impact of that album, 2007’s A Weekend In The City, and 2008’s Intimacy have been huge. To me, Bloc Party are the Beatles of Indie, the Stones of 21st century alternative rock. The impact of their music can be seen in the likes of Foals, Klaxons and The Cribs. They embark on yet another huge U.K tour this October, starting on the 2nd and playing a different town every night until the 31st. In recent interviews, lead singer Kele Okereke has said that this may be the last we see of Bloc Party for a couple of years, however if they play anything like they played last night at the Ironworks, their fans will want them back immediately.
Surprisingly they open with Trojan Horse, an electric song with huge guitars that just seems to get more intense and as it builds into a crescendo, the crowd really got moving and by the end of even the first song they’re already a sweaty mess.
The similarly massive Like Eating Glass makes for a huge sing along of “It’s so cold in this house!” They mix old with less old by merging Song For Clay: Disappear Here with arguably the best guitar fuelled indie song ever written, Banquet. A slightly faster paced version of the glockenspiel lead Signs goes down well, with a cool drum beat added by one of the most technical drummers of this decade. Talons is as powerful as it is recorded, Mercury is fantastic live, even if I did hate it when they released it. Hunting For Witches goes off like a bomb, however Bloc Party are not the sort of band who only play crowd pleasers, for example they play Compliments, an eerie art rock masterpiece which was a hidden classic on Silent Alarm and a treat, which was, as Kele put it, “For anyone who wanted to see us back in 2005.”
Talk about a powerful encore. The quartet come back on stage to play Flux, one of the biggest dance songs of last year and Ares, the hugely violent opener of Intimacy. Kele states “This is a song for fighting to… We hear you Highlanders love a fight, have you got any fight left in you!?” As a bottle is hurled past his head he dives into the crowd as Ares bursts into life and Kele shows off his excellent singing whilst crowdsurfing skills. As Ares sputters out of life he takes a breath and says “wow… if that last song was for fighting then this song is definitely for dancing to.” And after a blast of feedback from languid guitarist Russell Lissack he grins at Kele from behind his triangular block of fringe and blasts into the anthem of 2005, Helicopter, which is up there with Banquet for best indie guitar song of the decade. The drummer, Matt Tong plays an extended solo at the end and the sweaty band take their bows and leave the stage to huge cheers from the crowd, by this point a drenched mess of sticky t-shirts and shower hair.
Hopefully Kele will go against his word about taking a year or two out from Bloc Party and they’ll get straight back into the studio again, I’m looking forward to seeing them live again already.
Monday, 28 September 2009
Paramore - brand new eyes
Paramore haven’t just been milking the huge success of 2007’s Riot! for the past two years, they almost split up due to the pressures of a huge world tour (and the fact that front woman Hayley Williams and guitarist Josh Farro’s secret relationship came to an end but shh… it’s a secret.) brand new eyes is physical proof that whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. This almost break up seems to have made Paramore even angstier and angrier, if that’s even possible.
From the first few seconds of opening track Careful you can tell that Paramore definitely haven’t changed the old Tennessee quintet’s formula of big drums, fast riffs and fills that make you go, “woah that was cool!”
The first single Ignorance explodes into life with one of those amazing riffs that Paramore have used on almost every track since their 2005 debut All We Know Is Falling. It’s a fast paced, fuming track with various key changes and one wonders if it’s possible for Hayley Williams strain her voice any more. And it ends as suddenly as it starts.
Playing God is their attempt at a Jimmy Eat World style, mid tempo pop rock song with the threat of “Next time you point the finger/I might have to break it off” as the chorus.
The psychological centrepiece of the record, Brick By Boring Brick, gives the huge, angry guitars a rest with a bass fuelled verse but a huge chant along chorus that sees the men of the band getting a shot in the vocal limelight.
Looking Up takes a much less angry approach to the almost break up of the band with the lines “God knows the world doesn’t need another band/can’t believe we almost hung it up/we’re just getting started.” Paramore fans the world over can breathe a collective sigh of relief that their favourite band aren’t going anywhere soon.
They return for one last massive head bang on the closing track All I Wanted which starts as a mellow love song and ends up with a wailing Hayley Williams with some Whitney Huston/Dianna Ross style epic yelps of “All I wanted was you.”
Paramore really have gone from strength to strength, with this third “mature” album adding to the back catalogue of fantastic albums. Hopefully they really are just getting started.
brand new eyes by Paramore is out now on Fuelled By Ramen.
You can listen to the whole album for free at www.paramore.net
From the first few seconds of opening track Careful you can tell that Paramore definitely haven’t changed the old Tennessee quintet’s formula of big drums, fast riffs and fills that make you go, “woah that was cool!”
The first single Ignorance explodes into life with one of those amazing riffs that Paramore have used on almost every track since their 2005 debut All We Know Is Falling. It’s a fast paced, fuming track with various key changes and one wonders if it’s possible for Hayley Williams strain her voice any more. And it ends as suddenly as it starts.
Playing God is their attempt at a Jimmy Eat World style, mid tempo pop rock song with the threat of “Next time you point the finger/I might have to break it off” as the chorus.
The psychological centrepiece of the record, Brick By Boring Brick, gives the huge, angry guitars a rest with a bass fuelled verse but a huge chant along chorus that sees the men of the band getting a shot in the vocal limelight.
Looking Up takes a much less angry approach to the almost break up of the band with the lines “God knows the world doesn’t need another band/can’t believe we almost hung it up/we’re just getting started.” Paramore fans the world over can breathe a collective sigh of relief that their favourite band aren’t going anywhere soon.
They return for one last massive head bang on the closing track All I Wanted which starts as a mellow love song and ends up with a wailing Hayley Williams with some Whitney Huston/Dianna Ross style epic yelps of “All I wanted was you.”
Paramore really have gone from strength to strength, with this third “mature” album adding to the back catalogue of fantastic albums. Hopefully they really are just getting started.
brand new eyes by Paramore is out now on Fuelled By Ramen.
You can listen to the whole album for free at www.paramore.net
Sunday, 20 September 2009
New Music / What I've Been Listening To: September 09
We Have Band –
This London threesome infuse catchy synth lines, techno beats and compressed guitars with female vocals reminiscent of Yeah Yeah Yeahs to create some of the best band techno music since L.C.D Soundsystem. With a huge touring schedule covering all corners of the globe, I’m sure they’ll be appearing in Britain soon. They also boast one of the best names I’ve seen in a while.
For fans of Hot Chip, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Passion Pit.
www.myspace.com/wehaveband
Good Old War –
It’s official: I love Good Old War. The bearded Philly lads, who have fans like The Gaslight Anthem, Blink-182 and Circa Survive, sound like they should hail from the beaches of California instead of the cold north east of America. Drum brushes and acoustic guitars galore added to the soothing melodies of singer Keith Goodwin.
For fans of Death Cab For Cutie and Dashboard Confessional
www.myspace.com/goodoldwar
mewithoutyou –
Okay so they might not exactly be “new music” and I might’ve been oblivious to their music for a while – seven years to be exact – on hearing their 2009 album ‘It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream It's Alright’ I instantly adored this band. Although their peers are much heavier (three of their close friends are Manchester Orchestra, Sparta and Brand New) they produce clever acoustic music. Formed from two brothers and two best friends, singer Aaron Weiss’ songs tell stories of nature, a highlight of their newest album being ‘The Fox, The Crow And The Cookie.’
For fans of Tokyo Police Club and Fun.
www.myspace.com/mewithoutyou
This London threesome infuse catchy synth lines, techno beats and compressed guitars with female vocals reminiscent of Yeah Yeah Yeahs to create some of the best band techno music since L.C.D Soundsystem. With a huge touring schedule covering all corners of the globe, I’m sure they’ll be appearing in Britain soon. They also boast one of the best names I’ve seen in a while.
For fans of Hot Chip, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Passion Pit.
www.myspace.com/wehaveband
Good Old War –
It’s official: I love Good Old War. The bearded Philly lads, who have fans like The Gaslight Anthem, Blink-182 and Circa Survive, sound like they should hail from the beaches of California instead of the cold north east of America. Drum brushes and acoustic guitars galore added to the soothing melodies of singer Keith Goodwin.
For fans of Death Cab For Cutie and Dashboard Confessional
www.myspace.com/goodoldwar
mewithoutyou –
Okay so they might not exactly be “new music” and I might’ve been oblivious to their music for a while – seven years to be exact – on hearing their 2009 album ‘It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream It's Alright’ I instantly adored this band. Although their peers are much heavier (three of their close friends are Manchester Orchestra, Sparta and Brand New) they produce clever acoustic music. Formed from two brothers and two best friends, singer Aaron Weiss’ songs tell stories of nature, a highlight of their newest album being ‘The Fox, The Crow And The Cookie.’
For fans of Tokyo Police Club and Fun.
www.myspace.com/mewithoutyou
Friday, 18 September 2009
Jay-Z + Coldplay - Hampden Park
Now I’m about as far from a big hip-hop fan as you can get, but even I love the music of probably the most influential and consistent rappers of all time. Swaggering on stage to the horns of his session band, Jay-Z kicks straight into ‘D.O.A (Death of Autotune) - the first single from his new album ‘The Blueprint 3.’
The Brooklyn born king of hip hop, dressed entirely in Rocawear clothing (his own clothing brand), patrols up and down the stage rolling out modern day rap classics like ‘99 Problems’, ‘Izzo’, ‘Public Service Announcement’ and ‘Dirt Off Your Shoulder.’
Taking this support slot must have been a tough decision for the Jigga man as Coldplay fans aren’t exactly renowned for their love of gangsta rap and songs like ‘Big Pimpin’’ don’t go down quite as well as they probably should. His current No.1 single ‘Run This Town’ makes for a good climax to the set, even without Rhianna and Kanye West’s input. He leaves the stage to probably not the loudest cheer he’s ever had, but does it really matter to an icon like Jay? With eleven number one albums and a half a billion dollar industry under his particularly low slung belt, probably not.
As the sun sets on the home of Scottish football The Blue Danube Waltz drifts through the stadium and the lights go out. The four members of Coldplay emerge with sparklers swinging around their heads. Immediately they start the set with the instrumental ‘Life In Technicolour’, the first song from the most recent album ‘Viva La Vida.’ The thudding beat of ‘Violet Hill’ really gets the crowd going for the first time and it is followed up by three back to back classics in ‘Clocks’, ‘In My Place’ and ‘Yellow’, at which point hundreds of, obviously, yellow balloons are bounced around the crowd. The little known ‘Glass of Water’, which was on the recent ‘Prospekt’s March E.P’, fits in well with such classics and I feel it may have been up there with them if it had made it onto Viva La Vida. The graphics on the huge screen behind the band are phenomenal, with a 3.D rollercoaster style trip through the planets in space, ending with a solitary picture of an eye.
Epic doesn’t do ‘Fix You’ justice. Its anthemic climax sees singer Chris Martin jumping and sprinting across the stage with his arms held outstretched. By the end of the song he is lying at the end of one of the extended arms of the stage looking into the clear sky and having the crowd sing the last few lines for him. The rest of the band then troop out to join him for a few songs, with the Phil Collins look-alike drummer using a drum machine and a keyboard for techno renditions of ‘Talk’ and ‘God Put a Smile on Your Face.’ Then the band leave Chris on his own with the keyboard and go for a breather as he shows off his excellently delicate piano playing skills. A beautifully intimate version of ‘The Hardest Part’ is followed by around a minute of tinkling away. The sole spotlight goes out but after a moment of silence and darkness you can make out Martin’s figure gesturing frantically back to the stage, clearly something’s gone wrong. “We’re very sorry,” he says into the microphone, “but we’ve just had the biggest technical f*ck up we’ve ever had! Let’s rewind a minute or so…” Another moment of tinkling piano and this time it’s followed by the correct amount of silence and darkness before the pounding kettle drum of “Viva La Vida” is blasted out from the caveman/Phil Collins look-alike. Chris Martin just about makes it back to his spot behind the microphone as the vocals kick in and the band play one of the best songs they’ve written since ‘Fix You.’ The haunting chants echo around the stadium for a good minute after the song is finished and it’s probably the loudest any crowd’s been since the last time Scotland scored at this sacred ground… whenever that was.
Jay-Z makes a quick appearance for his verse on ‘Lost+’ before leaving again as quickly as he came, probably to the delight of some of the older fans.
The lights go out and the band can be seen making their way off the side of the stage, followed by an isolated cheer as the people in certain sections realise that they’re standing just feet away as Coldplay run past to go to the small stage set up in the middle of the crowd. Once safely on the mini stage Phil Colli- I mean Will, the drummer takes control of the microphone and an acoustic guitar for a very campfire-esque song called ‘Death Will Never Conquer’ followed by a strangely catchy cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It.’
After about 5 minutes of battling through the crowd it’s back to serious music making time as the strobe light infused ‘Politik’ bursts into life. An encore of ‘The Scientist’ and the final song ‘Life in Technicolour ii’ (a version of the instrumental opener but with words) makes for an epic ending, with fireworks, confetti and all. “Epic” is a major theme for the Coldplay boys’ stadium shows, excellent choice of support act too.
Jay-Z's new album 'The Blueprint 3' is out now.
You can listen to an hour of Coldplay's set at Hampden on Radio 1 (www.bbc.co.uk/radio1)
The Brooklyn born king of hip hop, dressed entirely in Rocawear clothing (his own clothing brand), patrols up and down the stage rolling out modern day rap classics like ‘99 Problems’, ‘Izzo’, ‘Public Service Announcement’ and ‘Dirt Off Your Shoulder.’
Taking this support slot must have been a tough decision for the Jigga man as Coldplay fans aren’t exactly renowned for their love of gangsta rap and songs like ‘Big Pimpin’’ don’t go down quite as well as they probably should. His current No.1 single ‘Run This Town’ makes for a good climax to the set, even without Rhianna and Kanye West’s input. He leaves the stage to probably not the loudest cheer he’s ever had, but does it really matter to an icon like Jay? With eleven number one albums and a half a billion dollar industry under his particularly low slung belt, probably not.
As the sun sets on the home of Scottish football The Blue Danube Waltz drifts through the stadium and the lights go out. The four members of Coldplay emerge with sparklers swinging around their heads. Immediately they start the set with the instrumental ‘Life In Technicolour’, the first song from the most recent album ‘Viva La Vida.’ The thudding beat of ‘Violet Hill’ really gets the crowd going for the first time and it is followed up by three back to back classics in ‘Clocks’, ‘In My Place’ and ‘Yellow’, at which point hundreds of, obviously, yellow balloons are bounced around the crowd. The little known ‘Glass of Water’, which was on the recent ‘Prospekt’s March E.P’, fits in well with such classics and I feel it may have been up there with them if it had made it onto Viva La Vida. The graphics on the huge screen behind the band are phenomenal, with a 3.D rollercoaster style trip through the planets in space, ending with a solitary picture of an eye.
Epic doesn’t do ‘Fix You’ justice. Its anthemic climax sees singer Chris Martin jumping and sprinting across the stage with his arms held outstretched. By the end of the song he is lying at the end of one of the extended arms of the stage looking into the clear sky and having the crowd sing the last few lines for him. The rest of the band then troop out to join him for a few songs, with the Phil Collins look-alike drummer using a drum machine and a keyboard for techno renditions of ‘Talk’ and ‘God Put a Smile on Your Face.’ Then the band leave Chris on his own with the keyboard and go for a breather as he shows off his excellently delicate piano playing skills. A beautifully intimate version of ‘The Hardest Part’ is followed by around a minute of tinkling away. The sole spotlight goes out but after a moment of silence and darkness you can make out Martin’s figure gesturing frantically back to the stage, clearly something’s gone wrong. “We’re very sorry,” he says into the microphone, “but we’ve just had the biggest technical f*ck up we’ve ever had! Let’s rewind a minute or so…” Another moment of tinkling piano and this time it’s followed by the correct amount of silence and darkness before the pounding kettle drum of “Viva La Vida” is blasted out from the caveman/Phil Collins look-alike. Chris Martin just about makes it back to his spot behind the microphone as the vocals kick in and the band play one of the best songs they’ve written since ‘Fix You.’ The haunting chants echo around the stadium for a good minute after the song is finished and it’s probably the loudest any crowd’s been since the last time Scotland scored at this sacred ground… whenever that was.
Jay-Z makes a quick appearance for his verse on ‘Lost+’ before leaving again as quickly as he came, probably to the delight of some of the older fans.
The lights go out and the band can be seen making their way off the side of the stage, followed by an isolated cheer as the people in certain sections realise that they’re standing just feet away as Coldplay run past to go to the small stage set up in the middle of the crowd. Once safely on the mini stage Phil Colli- I mean Will, the drummer takes control of the microphone and an acoustic guitar for a very campfire-esque song called ‘Death Will Never Conquer’ followed by a strangely catchy cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It.’
After about 5 minutes of battling through the crowd it’s back to serious music making time as the strobe light infused ‘Politik’ bursts into life. An encore of ‘The Scientist’ and the final song ‘Life in Technicolour ii’ (a version of the instrumental opener but with words) makes for an epic ending, with fireworks, confetti and all. “Epic” is a major theme for the Coldplay boys’ stadium shows, excellent choice of support act too.
Jay-Z's new album 'The Blueprint 3' is out now.
You can listen to an hour of Coldplay's set at Hampden on Radio 1 (www.bbc.co.uk/radio1)
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