Top 50 Albums of 2018

August Albums Round-up

August Albums Round-up

Travis Scott – ASTROWORLD

Unfortunately, in recent years, Travis Scott has become a bit of a joke. Countless memes, a Jenner marriage/baby and ultimately disappointing releases have made him the media’s enemy and a bit of a scapegoat. But, just like a coaster at his resurrected fictional theme park ASTROWORLD, a ride that goes down, also needs to come back up, and Scott certainly manages this on his latest record. ASTROWORLD is a hip-hop record full of depth that displays Scott’s ability to be able to present an introspective side within his music, a trait that is bound to shut the critics up for a while. I was happily surprised with ASTROWORLD and no matter what your opinion on Travis Scott is, I would advise you to listen.

Overall Rating – 8/10

Listen to – Sicko Mode, Stop Trying to be God, Carousel, 5% Tint, Astrothunder, Who? What!, Houstonfornication, Coffee Bean

Mac Miller – Swimming

On his latest album ‘Swimming’, Mr Miller certainly has his musical sat-nav aimed at one destination, and he will refuse to divert from its route. Every song on ‘Swimming’ seems to follow the same structure, a chilled beat, a funky baseline, melancholy styled rapping and occasionally a catchy hook. Unfortunately, over 13 songs this becomes a bit tiresome. It’s a solid album that is easy to listen to but it lacks something special to help it stand out from the crowd. Pity.

Overall Rating – 6/10

Listen to – What’s The Use?, 2009, Come Back to Earth, Ladders

Miles Kane – Coup De Grace

If anything, Miles Kane’s first studio album for over 5 years proves that he’ll never be as good as his Last Shadow Puppets bandmate Alex Turner. The record is 10 scrawled love letters to 70’s glam rock with some flutterings of punk and rock n roll with a David Bowie karaoke singer signing the words by the sounds of it. ‘Coup De Grace’ is a definitely unperfected retro concoction.

Overall Rating – 4/10

Listen to – Cold Light of the Day, Loaded, Something to Rely on

Nicki Minaj – Queen

Nicki Minaj has long been the top of the female rap game, but in recent times, she has faced stiff competition from new and upcoming lady rappers who have stormed and attempted to dethrone Minaj. ‘Queen’ was therefore designed to be a statement of intent, a display by Minaj of her talent and why she deserves to be the best of her gender. The album has its moments  but overall disappoints, points made get lost in a sea of unorganised, incoherent tracks that make ‘Queen’ a bit of a muddle really.

Overall Rating 5/10

Listen to – Chun LI, Barbie Dreams, Rich Sex, Good Form, Miami

Bad Sounds – Get Better

Funk, hip-hop, jazz, electronica, inide-rock and art-pop vibes are all crammed into the silbing duo of Bad Sounds’ debut record. ‘Get Better’ is 13 tracks bursting at the seams filled with crazy, catchy fun and this album to certain these brothers into a household name, especially if they carry on this trajectory.

Overall Rating – 7/10

Listen to – Wages, Avalanche, Milk It, Evil Powers, Honestly, No Luck

Ben Khan – Ben Khan

Ben Khan’s titular debut offering is a trippy voyage into the unknown. Khan’s deft manner as to which he beautifully caresses his way through electric, house and lo-fi music makes for a truly blissful listening experience. It’s difficult to find fault with this album and I thoroughly enjoyed having the pleasure of listening to it, and I whole-heartedly recommend that you do to.

Overall Rating – 8/10

Listen to – 2000 Angels, Do It Right, Monsoon Daydream, Our Father, Fool for You, Love Faded, Waterfall

Slaves – Acts of Fear and Love

The Kent punk rock duo Slaves are better than ever on their latest studio album. ‘Acts of Fear and Love’ is a massive improvement compared to the group’s 2 previous efforts. Gone are the ill-thought lyrics and lack of cohesion and in it’s place are well-designed punk tracks that clearly have an agenda, a million light years away from the band’s previous stuff, however their latest album still incorporates what their fans love most, big riffs and catchy choruses. A solidly good effort.

Overall Rating – 7/10

Listen to – Cut and Run, Magnolia, Bugs, Daddy, Chokehold

Blood Orange – Negro Swan

Dev Hynes’ latest display of talent as alter-ego Blood Orange is a dreamy, lush trip into a landscape of his own creation. It’s a dark and mysterious setting filled with violence and political upheaval, yet Hynes is able to present it in such a manner that it almost becomes appealing and nice to visit. Negro Swan tackles tough modern issues whilst interlacing them with sweet moments of pure bliss. Bravo Mr Hynes, bravo.

Overall Rating – 9/10

Listen to -  Charcoal Baby, Chewing Gum, Smoke, Runnin’, Orlando, Hope, Jewelry, Dagenham Dream, Nappy Wonder

Ariana Grande – Sweetener

As many of you may already know, I’m a sucker for a good pop record, a real guilty pleasure, and Ariana Grande’s ‘Sweetener’ certainly fits the bill for me. Considering how she suffered one of the toughest experiences that is humanly possible last year, I came into this record predicting ballad after ballad, but it’s not like that at all. ‘Sweetener’ is incredibly positive, fun and above all carefree. It’s joy for the senses and should be treated as such. ‘Sweetener’ certainly succeeded into turning this rather sour individual into a sweet little midget gem.

Overall Rating – 8/10

Listen to – Blazed, Everytime, God is a Woman, Sweetener, Breathin, No Tears Left to Cry, Borderline

The Kooks – Let’s Go Sunshine

Just bad, really bad.

Overall Rating – 2/10

Listen to – Don’t Listen to it.

Spring King – A Better Life

The Tarek Musa fronted UK rock group Spring King’s 2^nd studio album incorporates a much heavier sound than its predecessor whilst also utilising catchy pop-styled melodies, however it doesn’t leave much of an impression. ‘A Better Life’ is distinctively meh, it doesn’t really go in any clear direction and isn’t anything different to the current crop of up-and-coming indie groups.

Overall Rating – 5/10

Listen to – Let’s Drink, Us Vs Them, No More, Radioactive!, Thicker Skin

IDLES – Joy as an Act of Resistance

Many rock bands struggle to make 2 excellent records throughout their career, yet alone 2 excellent records back-to-back in the space of a year, however Bristol based rock/punk group IDLES have successfully managed just that feat. Their latest album follows much of the blueprint to their debut record ‘Brutalism’ with extremely cathartic rage outlined across the record’s running length tied together with cleverly developed lyrics and frontman’s Joey Talbot anger-fueled vocals to make a record that is desperately needed in this post-Brexit Britain we live in.

Overall Rating – 9/10

Listen to – Never Fight a Man With a Perm, Television, Danny Nedelko, Great, Colossus, Samaritans, Gram Rock, Cry to Me

Eminem – Kamikaze

Now then. Eminem has been one of the hip-hop legends of the past twenty years. Yet, his past few albums, albeit very good in terms of sales, have been poor compared to his earlier work. Many fans were hoping, nay praying to the rap gods, that this surprise album would change the trend, however, in my opinion, he’s still way of the mark. On ‘Kamikaze’ Eminem takes shots at pretty much everyone in the rap game and states he’s the best, and that’s literally it, for 45 minutes. There’s no profound messages, no deep insights, and with modern rappers like J Cole and Kendrick utilizing their gift as an output for their message, you would like to think that Eminem would do the same. Sadly, he’s more content sprouting gibberish about how amazing he think he is. Basically, if you’re 45 year old dad made a rap album, this would be it.

Overall Rating – 3/10

Listen to - Kamikaze (the song, not the album lol)

Best Albums of 2018 (So far)

The best albums of 2018 (So far....)

I’ve missed doing this.

Anyway, now that the halfway part of this year has passed I thought it would be the perfect time to condense my favourite records of 2018 into a small list for, well, anyone who wants to read it tbh. I don’t expect you to agree with the records I’ve chosen but if any of them inspire you to listen then that’s good enough for me. Anyway, enough babbling, let’s go... (Btw these albums are just in alphabetical order, not in order of preference)

Arctic Monkeys - 'Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino' Album Review

Arctic Monkeys- ‘Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino’

“I just wanted to be one of The Strokes” croons Alex Turner as he announces that his moon-set 1970s styled hotel ‘Tranquility Base’ is open for business. In a quantum-leap styled jump, Turner and co have transported themselves into deep outer-space, seemingly light years away from the drunk antics of their boozy night out themed debut album. It’s a huge risk for the band to completely disregard their highly respected and adored past in order to create a conceptual album that is closer to Mars than it is to Sheffield. With Turner now permanently relocated to Los Angeles, their sixth studio album truly reflects the man’s incredible work ethic and is an emblem for his attention to detail. Hours after its release however, ‘TBHC’ has predominately frustrated fans who were presumably expecting AM 2.0 with it’s difficult to access sound and a musicality that is nothing like anything they have done previous . But, as regular readers of my posts may know, these reviews are purely based on my own opinion and prior to listening I refused to be plagued or influenced by the negative reviews that I experienced and checked myself into ‘Tranquillity Base Hotel + Casino’ with an open mind. So let’s get in the elevator and check out its interior and what it has to offer for its eagerly-anticipating guests.

Post Malone - 'beerbongs and bentleys' Album Review

Post Malone – ‘beerbongs and bentleys’

3 summers ago, little-known Texas rapper Austin Post released what would become the trap-single of the warm months with ‘White Iverson’. Post was then rapidly thrusted into the spotlight and became an easily identifiable outlier in a Black-dominated genre. His first album ‘Stoney’ was viewed by many prior to its release as a way of Post attempting to challenge his critics perceptions of him as a ‘one-hit wonder’ and, despite it’s critical panning (Pitchfork when reviewing ‘Stoney’ stated that “Post Malone releases a 68-minute album that shows exactly why he should have never released a 68-minute album), ‘Stoney’ was a colossal commercial success and it allowed Post to gain an enormous following across the globe. Since the release of his first album, Post has become a self-proclaimed ‘rockstar’ with him now being seen by man as the ‘face of rap music’. Now that his long-awaited second release ‘beerbongs and bentleys’ has been released, it’s time to see whether he can confirm himself as the new type of ‘rockstar’ or whether it’s all just self-indulged tripe.

Top 10 Albums of 2017

Top 10 albums of 2017

Right, here we go. First of all, I just want to apologise for not posting anything on this blog for a few months, I’ve just begun my 2^nd year of uni and I have had barely any time to do this, so sorry for that. Anyway, I wanted to do something special and worthwhile to make up for my absence so let’s go, my top 10 albums of this past year ranked in order. There’s some albums that I’ve reviewed before on this list and some that I haven’t, I like to think that it’s a fairly varied and eclectic mix but you can be the judge of that

10

Wolf Alice - ‘Visions of a Life’

London’s youthful indie rockers Wolf Alice’s 2^nd record ‘Visions of a Life’ is an exploration of

teenage angst, a voyage that allows the band to refine their chaotic mix of grunge and dream pop that was so effective on their debut album ‘My Love is Cool’. The album itself revolves around the typically adolescent themes of anxiety, freefall, dreams and death, yet the group somehow manage to present these notions in a variety of ways, a skill that is far beyond a band of this age and experience. Take ‘Beautifully Unconventional’ for instance, this song presents these themes in a relatively carefree, light-hearted manner, whereas ‘Yuk Foo’ and ‘Sky Musings’ represents the darkness and the eeriness that surrounds these emotions. On ‘Visions of a Life’, Wolf Alice have certainly cemented themselves as the current Brit-rock flag-bearers via their brutal lyricism and their pleasing, enticing sound. Ellie Rowsell and co can only go higher from here.

9

Stormzy – ‘Gang Signs and Prayer’

Way back in January of this year, one of the most popular MC’s in the grime scene finally released his long-awaited, eagerly anticipated debut album. Michael Omari’s, aka Stormzy, debut studio album was a hugely ambitious, heterogeneously sounding composition that fully displayed the immense talent bestowed on the young man from South London. On ‘Gang Signs and Prayer’ Stormzy utilised his immense musical ability to create a grime album like no other. It incorporated the stern-faced, hard aspects of grime that we are all familiar with whilst also incorporating a variety of different genres including gospel, R & B and pop which overall culminated into an epic sounding record. Stormzy’s debut record is sure to be recognized throughout the grime scene for a long time as a game-changing album and it is therefore an extremely credible member of this list.

8

SZA – ‘CTRL’

SZA’s debut album ‘CTRL’ is another long-awaited album that has made this list, originally supposed to be released in the summer of 2016, the record finally dropped in June of this year to critical acclaim. ‘CTRL’ represents the voice of a young lady who is embracing her sexual freedom in a highly intimate style yet it is presented in such a gorgeous, lustful, dream-like manner that the doubtful feelings of this record being overtly cringe worthy are thrown out of the window and you are transported to some idyllic realm where love is endless. SZA cleverly walks the tightrope on ‘CTRL’ of utilising special guests on tracks whilst also ensuring that she remains fully in the limelight throughout. Kendrick, Travis Scott and Isaiah Rashad all feature on this debut album and these guest slots just excel SZA’s talent to incorporate neo-soul and rap together in a truly beautiful package for all to see. ‘CTRl’ is an R & B epic that certifies SZA as one of the hottest new talents out there at the minute and with 5 Grammy nominations, it is clear that she is getting the critical acclaim she deserves.

7

Sampha – ‘Process’

Sampha’s debut record ‘Process’ is an intricately detailed, emotionally-fuelled rollercoaster ride that delves deep into the human soul. Sampha’s immersed vocals paired with the gorgeousness of his gentle piano playing, along with the rare but exceptional electorinica vibes and the powerfulness of his lyricism allows him to generate a superb record filled with depth and care. In September of this year ‘Process’ was awarded the Mercury Prize, one of the most prestigious recognitions to be bestowed upon a UK artist and it was to little surprise that the critics chose it. Sampha’s soulful mix of alternative R & B and neo-soul is spread blissfully along the 10 tracks that fill ‘Process’ and after listening you are drained, drained of the emotion that you have immersed yourself in, yet, at the same time you remain in awe of this man’s talent. The talent to transport you to a place where emotion is rife yet content. Much of Sampha’s debut album focuses on his personal losses and you can therefore begin to comprehend the pain he is feeling just by listening to this record, and it is this important fact that makes ‘Process’ so gorgeous and epic.

6

Tyler, the Creator – ‘Flower Boy’

Californian rapper Tyler, the Creator’s fourth studio album ‘Flower Boy’ truly feels like the making of the mid 20’s slack-rapper. Gone are the gay slurs, the youthful exuberance and despair that once filled his records. Now, in its place, is an extremely self-aware young man who has the profound ability to produce majestic love songs that cleverly navigate the themes of unrequited love, the pain that love can bring, understanding the confusion of love and the angst of a missed connection whilst still incorporating the joyous rap vibes that we have all become familiar with Tyler’s music.    On previous Tyler records there has also been a tendency to overcomplicate things, whether it be with confusing beats or with sudden shifts in sounds within songs, however, on ‘Flower Boy’, Tyler has stuck to what he does best, intoxicating rap songs that are filled with a cacophony of various genres and sounds that draw the listener in. ‘Flower Boy’ is Tyler, the Creator’s transitional album. A transition from a youthfully innocent, occasionally idiotic individual to an emotionally complex human being that has finally found his place in this chaotic world we inhabit.

5

The War On Drugs – ‘A Deeper Understanding’

US indie rock band The War On Drugs’, frontman Adam Granduciel’s child, latest effort ‘A Deeper Understanding’ slots into the 5^th place on this top 10 list. ‘A Deeper Understanding’ leads from where the group’s previous record ‘Lost in the Dream’ left off with grainy 70’s styled rock ballads beating at the heart of this album. However, Granduciel has successfully managed to develop the band’s style of music to new expansiveness with psychedelic vibes and droning synths seamlessly weaving their way through ‘A Deeper Understanding’. This record is The War On Drugs first album with a major label and it is clear to see that the band have successfully utilised this influence to their advantage as from first listen this seems like their most immersive, dense and ambitious record to date. ‘A Deeper Understanding’ offers so much for the listener to take in, whether it’s the exceedingly clever beat change on ‘Up All Night’, the crushing riff of ‘Strangest Thing’ or the epic climax on ‘You Don’t Have To Go’. It’s a superbly well-structured record that ultimately excites the listener in a way that is extremely rare on the vast majority of modern rock records and it therefore has a rightful place on this list.

4

King Krule – ‘The Ooz’

Archy Marshall’s second album under the guise of King Krule is, well to put it bluntly, fucking dark. It’s a record full of puss, slime, cum, snot, coke, blood, smoke and sludge, a variety of complex textures designed to make you feel uncomfortable when listening. Yet, the tracks on ‘The Ooz’ also have the incredible talent of drawing you in at the same time, despite their horrific nature, the darkness appeals with its rich and real nature and a terrifyingly depressive and lonely world shrouded by gloom is created in its wake. Throughout the 19 tracks that fill ‘The Ooz’, Marshall’s subtle changes in tempo enable the listener to remain both interested and immersed. The poppy, heavy rock almost aspects of tracks like ‘Emergency Blimp’ and the jazzy vibed ‘Midnight 01’ make way for the glowingly disturbing stuff like ‘Czech One’ and ‘Logos’. Marshall’s somewhat drunken drawl that scours this record with an intoxicating variety of pitch and timbre enables it to become something truly special and meticulously thought out. ‘The Ooz’ is a disconcerting mix of truthfully endearing highs and lows that subtly intertwine their way through a shocking, grotesque dimly lit abyss.

3

Idles – ‘Brutalism’

The Oxford dictionary offers two definition for the term ‘Brutalism’:

1      

        Cruelty and savageness

2.       

           A stark style of functionalist architecture, especially of the 1950s and 1960s, characterized by the use of steel and concrete in massive blocks.

Never has a dictionary definition ever fit an album term more in terms of Bristol punk band Idles’ debut record. ‘Brutalism’ is a record filled with rage, angst and adrenaline, but it’s not pointless anger, its anger pointing its radar directly at the establishment, a failing system provided by the Tories and, believe it or not, Mary Berry. Idles broadcast their disgust for all to see throughout the 13 songs that fill this record. The rhythmic guitar, the deep droning bass and the pounding, flat drum beat all pair superbly with the yelling of lead singer Joe Talbot in order to create a dissonant sound that ultimately enables the listener to clean their system of all the pent-up rage they have. Rage, fury, wrath, ire and madness all beat at the heart of ‘Brutalism’ and it ends up feeling like an extremely important record for the current misguided climate.

2

Kendrick Lamar – ‘DAMN’

There’s no doubt about it. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is at the top of his game, this era’s 2pac, the modern rap prophet, and at just 29, his 4th studio album ‘Damn’ is one of his most assured, confident, retrospective and bold projects to date. ‘Damn’ cemented Lamar’s position as the main man in the rap game at the minute. ‘Damn’ is less about finding a solution to the ongoing problems, much like his earlier records, but instead finding a justifiable cause to reason with these problems. ‘Damn’ finds Lamar at his most reflective state ever with the majority of the tracks delving far deeper into the human soul than you could imagine whilst still incorporating an accessible level of musical ability that some critics found was lacking on his previous, much more jazz focused record ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’. Tracks like ‘Humble’ and ‘DNA’ get straight to the point with their hard beats and sour-faced lyrics, whilst ‘Loyalty’, ‘Love’ and ‘Lust’ find Lamar in a rarely seen emotional mess. ‘Damn’ is filled with ego-boosting songs that bang without having to dig deep. The groove can be witnessed easily and this therefore makes ‘Damn’ effortlessly epic and a worthy album for the number 2 spot on this list.

1

Loyle Carner – ‘Yesterday’s Gone’

South London rapper Benjamin Carner-Loyle, better known as Loyle Carner, released his debut album ‘Yesterday’s Gone’ way back in January of this year and you can therefore be excused for maybe not remembering it for all it’s worth. This record truly is insanely good, it’s an infectious concoction of London rap, jazz, Latin-styled guitar riffs, old school hip hop and funk-driven bass lines that enable it to become a definite diamond in the rough. Much of the album is driven by mournful, melancholic bars which gently intersperse with the low-lying beat provided and yet there’s also plenty of joy to be had on this record. It is this exceptionally astute mix which allows ‘Yesterday’s Gone’ to become a listening pleasure when listened to in its entirety. Carner’s immense lyrical dexterity makes him extremely diverse compared to other modern MC’s, his verses are not brags about fast cars and beautiful women, they are very down-to-earth words that are closer to Benjamin Zephaniah than Drake. And this aspect of his music therefore enables this album to resonate more with the domestics, the people who understand the emotions Carner is describing; love, loss, pain, guilt, fear, family and the listeners can comprehend and appreciate these. Overall, Loyle Carner and ‘Yesterday’s Gone’ are extremely worthy of the top spot on this list.

Other honourable mentions:

Queens of the Stone Age – ‘Villains’

Vince Staples – ‘Big Fish Theory’

The xx – ‘I See You’

Wiley – ‘Godfather’

J Hus – ‘Common Sense’

Mac Demarco – ‘This Old Dog’

The National – ‘Sleep Well Beast’

Thundercat – ‘Drunk’

Mura Masa – ‘Mura Masa’

Alvvays – ‘Antisocialites’

Brockhampton – ‘Saturation II’

Future Islands – ‘The Far Field’

Joey Bada$$ - ‘All Amerikkkan Bada$$’

The National - 'Sleep Well Beast' Album Review

The National – ‘Sleep Well Beast’

The National, now 7 albums in, have consistently been one of the loudest politically voiced acts on the music scene since their birth over 15 years ago. They regularly voiced their support for Obama in 2008 & 2012, holding benefit concerts in his honour, and have also created star-studded charity records to benefit the fight against AIDS/HIV in low-developed countries. They’ve begun to construct this liberal, kind-hearted, loving personal image, something that has been reminiscent of the band’s music of the past. The National have always been able to create music that is vibrant and full of soul yet simultaneously bleak and manifested; a typical dinner party band you might say, easy to listen to yet also dangerously addictive and austere. The group’s latest record ‘Sleep Well Beast’ seems to have taken a dangerous handbrake turn from this once comfortable motorway onto a narrow, blinded country road. Where the band were once restrained and controlled, they are now experimental and daring, confident enough in the fact that their fans will enjoy this embryonic approach and knowing full well that they can pull it off.

The War On Drugs - 'A Deeper Understanding' Album Review

The War On Drugs – ‘A Deeper Understanding’

US indie rock band The War On Drugs, frontman Adam Granduciel’s child, have always been one of the most consistently meticulous groups out there, with their average song lasting anywhere from 5-8 minutes they have always attempted to cram as much into their tracks as possible, often to great success. Their universally acclaimed previous album ‘Lost in the Dream’ helped propel his band from little known niche rockers to neo-psychedelic mega-stars and after tons of sold out shows across the globe they are back with their latest record ‘A Deeper Understanding’, hoping to continue off the success of their last album, the band have continued with their meticulous approach.

Jake Bugg - 'Hearts That Strain' Album Review

Jake Bugg – ‘Hearts That Strain’

Nearly half a decade ago now, Nottingham’s Jake Bugg burst onto the indie music scene with his fresh, innovative, folksy & wry take on love and modern day teenage-ism in a suburban setting. His debut album was extremely successful and many believed that it would set the wheels in motion for a long and illustrious solo career. This, however, has not been the case. Bugg’s next record ‘Shangri La’ felt ultimately like a collection of B-sides that weren’t strong enough to make the first record, whilst the less said about his 3^rd album ‘On My One’ the better. Bugg has often felt the need to throw experienced co-writers (Ian Archer) and producers (Rick Rubin) into the mix for his records, often to little joy however. It’s therefore refreshing to see that the entirety of his latest album ‘Hearts That Strain’ has been written solely by Bugg himself. Not essentially refreshing or innovating from a musical point of view, but for his own personal satisfaction.

Queens of the Stone Age - 'Villains' Album Review

Queens of the Stone Age – ‘Villains’

4 years after the critically acclaimed, dark and mysteriously superb ‘...Like Clockwork’ from California’s resident rockers Queens of the Stone, the group have returned with the Mark Ronson-ed produced record ‘Villains’. The band’s iconic frontman Josh Homme has always utilised his badass persona on previous records in order to give them their distinctively evil sound to great effect for over 15 years now and have been deliciously putting a spin on the way in which the mass public perceived the genre of hard rock since their birth. They are also one of the greatest live bands around at the minute; I still recall their headlining set at Leeds fest 2014 as one of my favourite gigs. All this and more filled me with great excitement for this new record.

10 Acts To Check Out At Leeds Fest 2017

10 acts to check out at Leeds Fest 2017

Due to my erratic student life I am unfortunately unable to afford to attend Leeds fest this year, despite being at the past 3. Despite this sadness, I thought I’d do anyone who is attending a favour (of sorts) and pick out some of the highlights from this year’s line-up that you cannot miss out on.

Everything Everything - 'A Fever Dream' Album Review

Everything Everything – ‘A Fever Dream’

The strange nuance of the sublet that is nerd-rock is something of a modern phenomenon. Where it was once restricted to the falsetto vocals of Thom Yorke and co, this flavoursome sub-genre is now an integral part of the indie scene. Whether it’s Alt-j, Glass Animals, Django Django or Foals, nerd-rock has slowly weaved its way into our musical consciousness. The Manchester based four-piece Everything Everything have always ingeniously utilised the outlandish nature of this musical style to its full advantage since their 2010 debut album ‘Man Alive’. The high pitched vocals of frontman Jonathan Higgs, the cleverly layered melodies, the crazy rhythms and bizarre imagery conjured up by clever lyricism have become a staple of this band. Now, in August of 2017, ‘A Fever Dream’, the follow-up to the group’s critically acclaimed third album ‘Get to Heaven’, has been released, and I for one can’t wait to get stuck into it.

Rat Boy - 'Scum' Album Review

Rat Boy – ‘Scum’

Jordan Cardy, aka Rat Boy, has been one of the leading emerging indie talents for the past few years now. His cheeky, quintessentially British lyrics depicting dodgy nights out, being constantly skint and being fired from Wetherspoons have appealed to the mass majority of indie millennial’s with his popularity growing hugely to the point in which Kendrick Lamar sampled one of Cardy’s songs on his latest album ‘Damn’. Fans of Rat Boy have been eagerly anticipating this debut effort for a long time now, but I for one have always been wary. Cardy’s music has the knack of teetering between weirdly brilliant to clichéd efforts that simply try too hard, maybe Cardy could prove me wrong on this full debut studio album.

Arcade Fire - 'Everything Now' Album Review

Arcade Fire – ‘Everything Now’

The media campaign and subsequent rollout of Canadian rock group’s previous record ‘Reflektor’ is argued as being nearly influential as the music itself. The band became The Reflektors, an on-stage persona in which the group would appear at their shows wearing papier-mâché heads, a fake website was made, so was a fake album and fans were ordered to dress in their shiniest at the band’s gigs. This campaign by the group took the music world by storm and it reinvented the way in which an album could be marketed, so much in fact that it could simply never be done again, certainly not to the same degree of success. However, in preparation for the release of new record ‘Everything Now’, the group have taken a similar, but not trusted, marketing path. The group mocked a website up to look like popular US music blog ‘Stereogum’ and reviewed their own album (weird I know) seemingly attempting to second-guess the critical feedback they would receive for this record. The review stated that the record would initially be dismissed as an LCD-Soundsystem rip-off, but would “eventually be evaluated as one of the best of the year”. The group also created their own company ‘Everything Now Corporation’, a company that manufactures candy and fizzy drinks whilst simultaneously marketing this new record via ice cream advertisements. Again, very weird I know. This tiresome campaign prior to this album feels almost 20 years too old, the ‘OK Computer’ era of utilising technology as a back-story to an album fit right into the late 90’s technology boom, yet nowadays it feels more recycled than revolutionary. Anyway, I was hoping that the music of this record would speak for itself, and it wouldn’t be overshadowed by its extremely long marketing campaign.