Blackstar is a strange trip; a trip tinged by sadness, although that particular sadness was steeped in strength and ready to face what lay beyond. It isn't everyday that you get to hear a record put out by a man who knew that he was dying (inb4 the general existential dread that comes with the knowledge that we are all slowly dying lol). This in itself should cut an interesting enough scenario, but things were made even more poignant, as two days after the album dropped (on the 8th January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday), the man himself passed away. Dealing with this alone was one thing, but him having left us this gift, mere hours before he passed on, is something truly special and unique in such a mournful time. Sure, I'm not saying Bowie planned to fucking die after dropping this record, but shit, that's incredibly bad/good timing (delete as appropriate).
Azealia Banks keeps popping up in the media due her somewhat erratic and bizarre behaviour. Naturally, this led me to actually check out her music, remembering "212" from a few years ago being a bit of a banger, with rude lyrics and intense Euro-style techno instrumentation. Broke With Expensive Taste is a bit of a mixed bag, if I'm honest. It reminds me of Lady Gaga's debut album, which was also desperate to try and cover the entire smorgasbord of genres that can easily accommodate a female pop lead. When it works, it works. When it doesn't, it fucking stinks. Bad.
The best track on this thing is easily "Wallace", which combines Miss Banks' frankly awesome, slurry-yet-smooth voice perfectly with the almost industrial-sounding clanking of a shuffling beat. Her flows are cheeky, confident and steamy; spat in that dreamy, slightly stoned yet boastful drawl. There is more in the way of dance-driven bangers, such as "Yung Rapunxel", and there are some solid straight-up poppy tunes too, such as "Heavy Metal & Reflective" and "Ice Princess". Unfortunately in the last few tracks the album falls off hard; "Chasing Time" is fucking tedious, coming on like a Lorde track but written by some faceless buffoon who put together the tracks on an early 2000s Atomic Kitten album, and "Nude Beach A-Go-Go" is quite possibly the worst thing I have ever heard in the history of music.
"Miss Camaraderie" saves the record before it sinks completely but it does feel slightly too late and I'm past caring by this point. You could trim a lot of the shit out of this and make a decent EP, but as it stands, it is a bit tedious.
Cracking Morrissey album, this! The strongest sounding Morrissey album since 2004's You Are The Quarry, very easily so in my opinion - yeah Christ, I really enjoyed this one. Great sound here, especially from the very grand opener "My Love, I'd Do Anything For You", with its horn section coming into play, adding to that nice big band vibe. I keep going back to this one - a definite favourite!
I won't waffle on about this album too much or pick it apart, but I will say that it is a very solid Morissey album; one that if you are a long-time Morrissey fan I'm you'll very much enjoy. And if you aren't? We'll you'll probably still continue to stay well away from it hoho - I realise he's not to everyones tastes, but this is cracking.
As well as that awesome opener, highlights for me would be the single "Spent The Day In Bed", as I really like the little keys jingle, which mega makes this song, as well as the lyrical content too on this one. "Jacky's Only Happy When She's Up On Stage", which aside from being a good song in general, I really like the drumming. Lovely drum sounds here (as there is throughout the whole album, mind you). Whilst we are on the subject, the instrumentation aspect of this album is 10/10 to be fair, a fantastic sound. "Home Is A Question Mark" is also very much one I keep going back to here out of the bunch as well as "I Bury The Living", again another mega huge sounding one.
Great record overall, what else can I say!? Listen to in it's entirety and enjoy.
Head Noise are a 3 piece Electro Art-Punk band from South Wales, often using a keytar as a primary instrument as well as an array of nontraditional instruments. With no live drums or an actual drummer they are certainly a different act and stand out from the crowd with their less conventional, more experimental approach.
So here we have the bands new 6 track mini-album "Special Effects Improves The Defects", a very fun sounding release here; upbeat, with some wicked little electronic jingles and beats throughout, which wouldn't sound out of place in an 80s disco or a soundtrack to a film set in such era, truth be told.
Some highlights of the EP, for myself, are "Finally Snapped", which may be my favourite of the bunch, with its dark and ambient sound - I'm getting some major A Flock Of Seagulls-esque vibes from this one - as well as "Diamond Planet", with its perfect groove and a more alternative 80's sound.
Overall a nice little release her; its fun, its fresh, its different, and stands out. Nicely done.
I can't tell you how rare it is that I come across the perfect album, and I mean that in the sense of when on a record every single song is flawless; each piece contributing not only to the overall experience, but able to stand its own ground without just being needless filler. Faithless are not a band that I spin all that often anymore, but if I'm in the mood for this style of music, then I can accept no substitute.
Faithless is a bizarre multi-genre affair mixing the work of the DJ Sister Bliss, producer Rollo (who is Dido's brother) and MC Maxi Jazz. What we get, on Reverence at least, is a strange hybrid of dance, pop and indie. On later records the band's style would become more sparse and less dance-orientated, but Reverence is 90s Britain to the absolute max. The opening title track mixes lazy, smooth hip hop with throbbing techno, whilst "Salva Mea" is a trip in lush, lucid house; "If Lovin' You Is Wrong" is a raunchy, jazzy, almost theatrical pop explosion, and "Dirty Old Man" plays on the tropes of dub reggae in the most subtle way.
On top of those you've got "Flowerstand Man" with Dido on the lead vocals, the life-lesson of "Baseball Cap" and the now legendary "Insomnia", which catapulted Faithless to the top of the charts upon its release. The fact that "Insomnia" - probably one of the most memorable dance tunes of all time - is such a small part of this album really speaks volumes to the strength of the songwriting on display here. This nearly 9-minute epic is on the same record with ballads such as "Don't Leave" and "Angeline", which should be jarring and fractured, but somehow it all just flows perfectly. The audacity of it all, eh?
Irregardless of where Faithless went with their sound after this record, I am genuinely strugglingly to think of a stronger debut album from any artist, in any genre.
Crazy Clown Time is, for the most part, a journey through rusted Americana with treated, dense beats. Repetition is God, repetition is key! Lynch has openly admitted that he is neither a singer nor a guitar player, but it only seems right that the all-encompassing artist releases his own music as well, and it does not disappoint me in the slightest. I mean, I kinda half-braced myself for some Mr. Bungle / John Zorn style freakery, but what we have here is much more fitting into the Lynchian aesthetic.
There are good songs, and there are not so good songs. Some of his vocal performances are lacking somewhat; not so much in quality, but in delivery. I love Lynch, and I don't dislike this record, but as someone who has listened to thousands of albums, I can't deny a weak vocal performance when I hear one. Lyrically, the man is on point, and the music is smokey and authentic. It's just the whole thing lacks a little, how should I say it, pizzazz.
I'm not sure if "angelic" is the correct word to use in regards to Nicole Dollenganger, but it is indeed the first thing that comes to mind whilst listening to this possibly troubled teen. I say that because there is something a lot more than just the voice of an angel here; there are many other faces, perhaps those of demons, bubbling beneath the surface. Her voice is fragile and delicate, yet powerful and mesmerising.
On Natural Born Losers, Nicole combines ethereal, dreamy, almost non-structured synth work with an alternative pop vibe that for me evokes the work of Daisy Chainsaw / Queenadreena's KatieJane Garside, Grimes, to an extent Lana Del Rey, or even Kate Bush. The music that accompanies her voice is akin to various shades of post rock, the experimental side of indie or even shoegaze.
Dreamcar is a new project made up of Tom Dumont, Adrian Young and Tony Kanal of No Doubt, and AFI's Davey Havok.
Since hearing of this unique and perhaps mix-matched collaboration, I have been very keen to hear how this album would sound, having the majority of the members (i.e the band itself) coming from a very ska and pop-based background, and the vocalist coming from more of a punk and alternative rock style of music. This was definitely something I was curious about hearing; excited about how it'd sound, especially as I'm quite partial to both acts, especially AFI.
Upon first listen I am immediately drawn in by - and familiar with - Davey's vocals, and pleasantly surprised as the album kicks off with opener "If I confessed", which sets the tone and sound for the project nicely to anyone else curious. I'd say there is a strong 80's vibe shining through on this release with the guitar sound particularly, which is very A Flock of Seagulls-esque at times. Overall, we're talking a more moody and darker 80's sound here, rather than a straight up pop record. Although, I can't help but get an ever so slight Duran Duran vibe from "On the Charts", especially from that vocal hook, so there are elements of both.
Overall though, a cool and very refreshing sounding side project here, and a great album. Personal highlights for me include "All The Dead Girls Love Me", and the album's single "Kill For Candy".
Here we have Without Wonderland from Scottish pop rockers Altered Sky. I have seen this band play a good number of times (and in most instances, I shared the stage with them, in my Led by Lions days). I can say that every single time, there was always a very good live show with a fantastic stage presence, and I have always been impressed with how well front-woman Anna performs vocally. They were a band that I'd actually heard live first before hearing a record, so when it came to checking out their stuff I had a very good idea of what to expect and was looking forward to hearing it.
The production on this album is spot on for this type of music; it is on point for all instruments as well as the powerful vocals - there's a perfect, big, dramatic pop rock sound here (just like their live show). Something for everyone here really too, a nice mixture of pop rock anthems (i.e "Bury It All", "Waves") as well as some piano ballads ("Imagine Adventure"); some really high quality sounding material throughout.
Highlights include the massive sounding "Waves", and the slightly heavier toned "White Witch". Overall, a great sounding album, from a very hard working band.
Excellent, if not a bit too polished pop from France. Initially I suspected that this record suffered from "lead single syndrome", and whilst to some degree that statement still stands, this is a subtly clever album that will grow on you over time. Well, unless you exclusively listen to shit like Hatebreed, then you'll probably despise this, obviously.
So here we have Eisley's first release since the departure of Stacey and Chauntelle (as well as drummer Weston who remains as a studio member but not a live member), leaving vocalist Sherri Dupree Bemis and bassist Garon Dupree to pick up where the band left off and move forward. It is always tough to lose band members, especially ones that brought a lot to the table and in this case, the loss of the beautiful vocal harmonies between all the Dupree sisters. I was very keen to hear how the sound would be affected, if at all.
What we have here though is a very nice sounding record; still luckily managing to capture the soothing, dreamy, spacey, far-away Eisley sound that I have always loved, and with guest appearances too from Sheri's husband Max Bemis (of Say Anything) and Anthony Green (of Circa Survive and Saosin).
Opener "Always Wrong" instantly erased any doubt in my mind that this wasn't anything but a solid Eisley record, despite all the missing personnel. Personal highlights for me are the Anthony Green collaboration "Louder Than A Lion", and definitely the tracks "You Are Mine" and "Snowfall". That being said, Eisley are the type of band where I can easily just listen to the entire album in full rather than single anything out, hence my very brief picking apart; it all just flows together so lovely and it is easy to get lost inside it all. That is the best way to enjoy this band in my opinion.
So, all that's left for me to say is I'm really glad that the group continued despite the setbacks and blows to it and returned with such a great album; they will still continue to be a personal favourite of mine. I hope other fans of the group will agree.
This Becomes Us is the solo collaborative release from Future Of The Left (and not forgetting ex-Million Dead) bassist Julia Ruzicka. This debut contains ten tracks of absolute pure gold, featuring a different vocalist on each track, including Black Francis from The Pixies, among others. Opener "The Picture of Delorean Gray", is a cracking little number; a nice and fast-paced, hard-hitting, fuzzy, punky number that leads into the bouncy "Undervalue Love", which has a kind of dark pop vibe to it.
The third track - and a possible favourite - is "Big Hitter" (featuring the vocals of Billy Mason Wood), which has quite an At The Drive In sound to it, I'd say. Absolutely love this one. Not to go for the obvious and lazy review, but "Painter Man Is Coming" (featuring the vocals of Black Francis) has such a nice Pixies vibe to it. This is a lovely track, and is very reminiscent of some of Pixies' finest work at times. Another favourite from this release.
I would describe "At The End Of Everyday" as having a very early 2000's kind of sound; I'm thinking like that original emo/post hardcore sound that was starting to come out around then; Cursive, Rival Schools etc. vibe I'm getting - it is refreshing to hear, either way!
The short and sweet "Simple Too" leans towards a distorted-yet-arty punk type of sound, leading into "The Gift That Nobody Wants", which sounds very Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster-esque, "Songs In My Mind" is great, really like the vocals on this one, a catchy little punk number with some powerful female lead vocals from Chantal Lewis-Brown. "Sassessa" is cool; a more laid back number compared the rest of the bunch, yet still upbeat and driving. The album's closer "This Horse Needs Peace" is a well-placed last track to the record, and a subtle instrumental outro to the whole thing.
Overall though, This Becomes Us - despite having a different collaboration on each track - still does the wonderful thing of managing to sound like a fully flowing, coherent album and not just a compilation of songs. As solo projects go, this is exceptionally well done!
(I don't have a cover with my copy, but here's a cover anyway, because I'm too good to you. Happy new year!)As ridiculous as this sounds, this 7" will always hold a special place in my record collection. I've been putting off writing this post for years, mainly due to Lines In Wax evolving away from just speaking about my physical vinyl records, but also due to not really being able to face writing about Queen; a band that, for the most part, I absolutely fucking despise. Realistically though, owning this 7" has absolutely nothing to do with Queen at all.
The reason I have this 7" is because when I was a nipper my parents used to drink at a bar that was basically in the attic of the local leisure centre. My dad worked at the centre for many years and sometimes I would get taken along to said nights out. I will always remember the bar's jukebox; a bizarre, circular affair that seemed pretty rare as far as jukebox shapes go. I used to like watching the records as they were taken from the stacks by the machine and played on the platter.
Many, many years later when I would work at the centre myself for a few years, I was surprised to see the jukebox as it was wheeled from storage. We were due to move premises and we had to empty the building of absolutely everything. My colleagues got into the habit of plugging in the machine whilst on shifts and enjoying the shaky, crackly tunes as if it was 1992 all over again. I made many inquiries into what the fate of the jukebox was to be, and if it was somehow possible that I could purchase the jukebox for myself. The manager at the time told me that it was going to be taken for refurbishment and sold on to specialists for a profit. Sad, but I could live with that.
This is the version I own, sans cover, as explained. I just can't be bothered to dig it out and take a picture of it. This isn't LIW circa 2012!
A few months later I was finishing up a shift at the centre. I was dragging two black bags of rubbish out to the bins, and after I opened the fire doors, I looked up to see a sight that made my heart sink. In the skip where all the junk from the move had been thrown, was the jukebox, face up. Two builders who had been working on the new centre had pried the face off the thing and it was in pieces. To add insult to injury, they were stood over the broken machine, harvesting the 7" records and flinging them across the river like frisbees. I was shaking with rage, but I managed to run over and save a bag-full of soaking wet 7"s (I must have looked a right nutter), most of which were damaged beyond any reasonable use. The three that survived and that I still have to this day include this copy of "Bohemian Rhapsody", "O Carolina" by Shaggy and Iron Maiden featuring Mr. Bean (yes! lol) covering Alice Cooper's "Elected".
Popular Culture tells me that Bohemian Rhapsody is one of Queen's most well known tunes. Personally, I fucking hate it, especially when people try to drunk-sing their way through it. But, I will never get rid of this single.
Not a review as such, but a bit of Lines In Wax backstory as a change of pace. Normal service returns tomorrow!
Big Grams is an extremely refreshing mash up of synth-drenched electronica pop and hip hop. Initially, I had a reaction of "holy shit, this sounds like Lorde collaborating with Run The Jewels!", and rather ironically, considering how ridiculous that comparison is, Run The Jewels pop up on track six here. Anyway, Big Grams is actually New York dream pop duo Phantogram but fronted by Outkast nutter Big Boi. And, not to mince words, its fucking fantastic.
First off, its decent pop music, before Big Boi is even involved. I need to get Phantogram wrapped around these 'ere lugholes. But, with the super slick flow piled on top like thick honey over a perfect set of pancakes and bacon (yeah, I went there fam) the balance of rap and pop is achieved. It is almost the zen of collaborations in this style, and it shits on every single worthless chart-topper than throws a rapper in as nothing more than just something to make the middle eight pass a bit faster.
The only real let down is the final track, which has fairly uninspired contributions from Skrillex, a project that really should have stayed in 2012.
So pretty much, if you're not already a fan of The Beatles, then there's an extremely slim chance you'll be buying this record, as a live album is pretty much in my eyes a fan-targeted release.
Normally I'm not a fan of live albums, I'll be completely honest. There are exceptions, however I just feel that some moments you can't recapture when it comes to this type of thing, kinda like how 90 percent of gigs you go to now there's someone standing in front of you holding their phone in the air the entire time! And not only that; a lot of live material can just be a quick cash-in or something to bang out in between studio albums or quiet patches (or an easy one for the christmas market).
Anyway, that's my rant over.
So yeah, here's a collection of songs taken from what appears to be 2 separate performances at The Hollywood Bowl (1964 and 1965)
in a nicely packaged and put together little bundle, released to coincide with the documentary film that that hasn't long come out.
The constant, piercing fan screaming throughout this record can be very off putting, and I feel makes for an uncomfortable listen here, but it is what it is, as
that's exactly how a Beatles concert was and would have been, so even if you were actually there that would have been an overwhelming thing.
Other than that it's a decent listen and something nice to add to the collection if you're already a fan, but not something I would go back and regularly listen to though, I'll be honest. If a live Beatles album is what you were after and would enjoy, then I won't deny that this doesn't do the job however and would be a great addition to anyone that enjoyed the film also.
Track-listing wise, we have an inconsistent mix-up from both performances, so don't be confused into thinking you are listening to one complete show as it kinda skips into a mixture of the both. I'm not really sure why they've chose to present it in such way. All the early classics are here though,
which I'm sure need no introduction, including the odd early cover song they used to perform such as "Twist And Shout", and "Roll Over Beethoven".
Overall not the most comfortable of listens (that constant screaming and low clarity), and definitely a fan-only thing, although one I'm sure most fans will enjoy regardless. It's just not the kind of album that I would listen to time and time again, as I would the majority of their studio albums. If I really wanted to enjoy these songs at their full glory I would choose a studio recording rather than seek my enjoyment here of such.
The Gorillaz self-titled record was the first album that I ever owned. Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory (unfortunately) holds the title for first record ever bought, but Gorillaz was the first thing that I seriously jammed, and it was instrumental in developing my interest in music as a serious hobby. Back in the day I had this terrible transparent blue Aiwa tape walkman / radio combo, and I played the livin' fuckin' guts out of my crappy tape copy of this.
Most people are surprised I love Gorillaz so much simply because I can't fucking abide Blur. But, what drew me to Gorillaz first album was the thick dubby aspect underneath the pop sensibilities of the band's songs; the thick spine of bass and chunky, dusty drum programming. The dirty, mechanical rumbling holding together the melancholic "Tomorrow Comes Today" is a perfect example of the grimey, almost-VHS-like vibe of the rhythm section on this album.
Then there's, obviously, "Clint Eastwood", with all that bagged up sunshine, and the bizarre first appearance of Del Tha Funky Homosapien, the rabid "Punk", the epic "Sound Check (Gravity)" and the downright fucking awful "Latin Simone". From the raucious rock of "M1 A1" to the introspective, arcade machine tomfoolery of "Double Bass", the whole thing is dripping in dirty dub vibes, a trend which unfortunately did not continue on later Gorillaz recordings (despite the fucking glorious Spacemonkeys spin-off dub remix album, Laika Come Home).
Don't forget, kids - it's the music that we choose.
Heartless is the most recent offering from bizarre, dark and menacing electronica group Bestial Mouths. Expect "darkwave" (the Youtube comments section just had a triple bypass with the use of this word) meeting ethereal pop in a world of decay, pain and seemingly endless reverb. The tracks do sound kinda similar however in a bizarre twist this only seems to cement the record together as a solid whole, rather than drive boredom into the heart of the listener. Expect Florence & The Machine meeting 2004-onwards-era Gary Numan in an abandoned underground car park. At points, in certain passages the record harks back to an undeniable influence from 80s synth-pop flamboyance such as that performed by Kate Bush, or perhaps more subtly David Bowie (on the part of Bestial Mouths' interpretation, of course).
Bestial Mouths have that strange mid-level appeal; weird enough to play fringe and underground festivals around the world, deep in the pockets of the twiddly mustache and APA drinking crowd, whilst at the same time possessing the catchiness that could easily point to a more mainstream success. Saying that, if you thought Lady Gaga was weird, artistic and expressive, this is probably not for you.
I guess this is probably one thing you wouldn't have expected me to cover, but I was chatting recently with LIW regular contributor Burra on many things musical, and somehow, somewhere along the highway HIM came up. Burra raised the quite valid point that Razorblade Romance was a solid album in any respect, and I had to agree with him, regardless of the band that released it, or what they would become. It is eternally bizarre to think that HIM started out as a Black Sabbath tribute band (I for one cannot image them playing any Sabbath tracks), as that would be far cry from the pop-dressed-as-metal that we have here.
But, if you're gonna do something, do it right. You have to understand here that this thing came out before HIM had any real international recognition; before Bam Margera forced this band into the playlist of every male with a beanie hat and a Jackass DVD; and most definitely before Ville Valo was wetting up goth teen panties on the other side of the pond. On top that, this thing isn't going to win any awards for originality. The same lame-ass fucking drum beat carries every song, as does the muted chugging of the guitar riffs, which is used so often in verse structure that Mushroomhead started to draft up a cease and desist order. It's almost offensive to musicians worldwide how simple this shit is.
But it works. Throw in some lazy but effective keyboard playing to fill out the middle-ground and you've got the perfect backdrop for the man himself; His Infernal Majesty, Ville Valo. You gotta admit this guy has some pipes on him, and without a doubt helped carried this band to it's success. This thing is loaded with hits that could easily top charts if backed with sickly electronica instead of distorted guitars; "Poison Girl", "Right Here In These Arms", and the, I gotta be honest, absolutely fucking fantastic cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game".
This is one of the closest instances where metal almost became pop music (anyone who raises me that fucking farce Babymetal loses 9000 internet points - that shit is a product, nothing more).
HIM Trivia: The song "Join Me In Death" was blamed for a fan suicide and was re-titled "Join Me" for a while to avoid any further controversy. It now seems to be back as the original title, even on the band's Vevo. Also, the band are supposed to go by the name HER in America, kinda like how Ghost is supposed to go as Ghost B.C. but never do.
It's been a while since the last Gwen Stefani solo album, and being a No Doubt fan and enjoying the bands last release (Push and Shove), I was interested to hear how this new solo effort would sound, and mainly the vibe it'd have this time around.
Opening track "Misery" is a great introduction to the album; and in regards to the route the album goes down, this album is an awful lot less R'n'B/hip hop-influenced than any previous Gwen Stefani solo releases (which may or may not be of preference for some listeners). However, I'd say this is a lot more closer to No Doubt's latest sounds than that of the pop and R'n'B sounds Gwen has been known for as a solo artist.
There's a really good sound to this album overall; a bold production filled with strong tracks, and very little - if any - filler. You can actually hear the reggae/ska vibes coming through in parts too; the sounds that have so obviously influenced the No Doubt sound and there is one track that shows this absolutely perfectly - "Where Would I Be", which has a very chilled out and laid back ska-influenced groove. Aside from that, there is a nice mix of great pop songs.
I personally think this is the strongest record as a whole that Gwen has put out solo; her vocals shine throughout and we are presented with a very enjoyable solo comeback.
I was recommended this band to check out, and having known literally nothing about them I was interested to hear what was going on. The LaFontaines are a very difficult band to pigeonhole; I'm finding myself presented with rapping, smooth sounding vocals, riffs, indie guitar licks, lovely guitar tones amongst really big sounding anthems. What a mental combination! On paper this shouldn't work, it really shouldn't... however these guys have seemed to pull it off nicely. I'm hearing multiple genres at play throughout the album - even throughout a single track! But, I'm finding it's very refreshing to listen to something so different; something that has a surprise around every corner.
The standout track on this album for me is definitely "Castles"; if I had to sum this particular track up, it sounds a mixture of all the sounds I've just mentioned, but with a slightly anthemic vibe, and to me, what sounds like it could be a You Me At Six or Deaf Havana-kinda sound with a cheeky rap thrown in for a good measure. I'm finding myself hitting repeat on this one. However, the track that follows, "King", is almost straight up hip hop; such a confusing album in terms of direction and flow, and as I say, this really shouldn't work, but I find myself quite drawn to it. I think from a marketing perspective this band has something great going on too. as they can kinda squeeze into very varied bills and lineups, and I should imagine the band draws an extremely varied fan-base too.
Overall though, it's a ridiculously strong album and I'd definitely recommend a listen to this to see for yourselves what you make of it - it really is an odd mix, but a great album! For me the album highlights are "Castles" "Class" and "All She Knows".
