SPECIAL FEATURE: A Retrospective on Reuben

Well now. I WAS going to review Reuben's brand new posthumous b-side compilation "We Should Have Gone To University", but after collecting my thoughts, decided that there's no point in reviewing it. If you like the band, you love the band and so would already be willing to spend £20 on two CDs of their rejected material and a DVD of Jamie (that's the singer btw) running around backstage with various bits of cardboard stuck to his face. You don't need me to tell you that the money has already left your wallet.

SO instead I decided to offer anyone who might not have heard this band a bit of indication where to start... and a SLAP IN THE FACE! WHYYYYYYY!?!

Barring their early demos and EPs (all tracks from which can be found on this new release), the 1st place to go has to be their debut album; "Racecar Is Racecar Backwards". Many will argue that this is their best album, and it's true that listening to it feels better than realising the album name is true. Pretty awesome eh?

The big singles all come from this album, including "Let's Stop Hanging Out" and "Freddy Kreuger", as well as brutal numbers like "Stuck In My Throat" and "No One Wins The War". There are a few less exciting numbers here, but even these are pretty good.

Their second full length "Very Fast, Very Dangerous" is a much more consistent number. While there are no specific stand out tracks, the overall standard is much higher. They also experiment with strings, programmed beats and longer unconventional song structures, prime examples being "Return of the Jedi" and "Every Time a Teenager Listens to Drum & Bass a Rockstar Dies".

The album seemed a bit more main-stream orientated. There was more singing than screaming, and lead single "A Kick In The Mouth" got a proper in video with girls in and everything! That said, this was the 1st Reuben album that I got, being it the latest release when I originally heard "Lights Out" on a free RockSound CD and got hooked, and it took me two months to get into it because I thought it was too heavy! Bear in mind that I was listening mostly to Korn at the time, so take from that what you will.

Then came the third album; "In Nothing We Trust". This was the "ideas" album, and introduced fans to cheeky pianos ("Agony/Agatha"), delay pedals ("Suffocation of the Soul", yes I gasped audibly) and super detuned filth ("Blood, Bunny, Larkhall"). This album, released on the bands own label after being dropped and produced by Biffy Clyro's old producer, sounded like a statement of individuality. Before, Reuben were a pretty awesome big-riff metal band who wrote straight up songs with provocative lyrics and catchy melodies. Now though, they were proper musicians. Over the 1st 3 tracks, there might only be 30 seconds that sound like it was definitely Reuben doing the playing, but it was awesome.

So yeah, my analysis? If you haven't already checked out this band, I suggest that you go in chronological order from the start. And if you've heard the band but not really taken any notice, go back and listen to the awesome lyrics. Notice how you know them all by the 3rd play through, and most of the drum fills too!

So yeah, I'm gunna go hang up my fanboy hat and cry for half an hour. Laters!
Chris/Audio Bigot. xx

ALBUM REVIEW: Temporary Pleasure by Simian Mobile Disco

Right, well after what now feels like an EPIC hiatus to focus on my own original music in it's various forms, I'm back. And if you're lucky, I may have a brand new rap. Although I've gotta say this is unlikely. (And yes it went very well thank you. I got paid! *Gasp*)

Ok, I fell in love with SMD when I saw them play live at Reading festival last year. Quickly hunting down the album after the weekend, I discovered that I was not the only one to rate this long player as a class piece of electronic music. But now the sophomore album rolls around, and people seem to be turning in far less glittering reviews of their once fabled "saviours of dance music".

This album takes a much more poppy line than prior efforts, with collaborations from Beth Ditto, Hot Chip and Gruff Rhys amongst others, and the tendency is start throwing the "sell out" shit around your cage. (See what I did there? That's a monkey joke.) But the truth is that it just won't stick. TRUE, opener "Cream Dreams" sounds like a Gruff Rhys track Ft. SMD, and I don't know WHAT they were thinking when "Turn Up the Dial" made the cut, but for the most part the inclusion of big name collaborators doesn't bother me.

And I'll tell you why.

Anyone who claims Simian Mobile Disco have focused too much on the guest artists and are using this to shift units, or whatever, are clearly forgetting two things; first, that 50% of SMD is James Ford, who has produced tracks for Arctic Monkeys and Florence and the Machine, and so working with pop/indie artists is nothing new for him; and second that 10,000 horses can't be wrong.

You see, while there are some tracks that are incredibly poppy, there are others that retain the hard edged, minimal house feel of the SMD that people loved, and indeed improve on it. "10000 Horses Can't Be Wrong" is an amazingly gritty, blippy and exciting club chooon, and "Synthesize" has all the hallmarks of classic hard dance music. Yet these harder tracks sit well in the album, and never feel out of place.

This gives me the impression that while this album is certainly different to the other, it is not a cynical attempt to hit the mainstream, but mearly a natural progression of a band trying something different. They might be suffering from "Oh, now everyone likes them they aren't as cool anymore" syndrome, but fuck it- its still 4/4 right?

Cheers.
Chris/Audio Bigot. xx

Apologies...

Hey guys... sorry for the epic delay in anything for the past month or whatever...

CURRENTLY very busy with my own music/partying, so this is getting side-lined. Will try and get something up for you guys soon though- possibly a Spotify playlist! Good times.

C.xx

p.s. I gave up on Animal Collective. It's good.

ALBUM REVIEW: Obscured By A Setting Sun by Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man

Y'know, I very nearly let this one pass my by completely. Never have I been more affronted by shoddy mixing/production as I was upon attempt #1 at listening to this album. Ok, now I know that to most people, production values aren't at the forefront of their minds when listening to an album, and in fairness I'm usually the same. But when it's THIS bad, it really ruins the experience.

Muddy guitars, heavy-handed bass EQ, and an annoying filter on the vocal niegh ruin opener "If This Is A Man", to a point aproaching the "Unlistenable" category. Which is a shame, because it's probably the best on the record.

Once we push past this initial hurdle, does it get any better. Well, no. Not really.

The band's singer, one Frederik Blood-Royal, despite having a glourious 'tache, sounds about as pretentious as his name. He recalls ¡Forward, Russia!'s singer, without the charm or wide-eyed urgencey. Lyrically, he's spouting on about biblical scenes and "corporeal mortification"... you get the picture. Delivered by a good singer, I'd be prepared to credit this. Delivered by an infuriatingly bad singer..?

The band don't sound as orriginal as they would like to think. Aforementioned "If This Is A Man" sounds like it was stolen from The Mars Volta's discard pile, while elsewhere some Jimmy Paige-esque arpeggio' work against a backdrop of (gasp) cellos fails to really excite.

In short, there's nothing here that hasn't been done a lot better elsewhere. Admitedly not by such snappy dressers, but that aside, you'd be much better off spending your money elsewhere.

Cheers!
Chris/Audio Bigot
xx

p.s. Apologies for any spelling errors. I'm currently writing from an internet cafe in Greece... and because it costs a BOMB I don't yet have Word on this computer. Will update when I get home! OH and as promised, Animal Collective review is on the way. I'm still making my mind up...

ALBUM REVIEW: Jewellery by Micachu and the Shapes

Play this album LOUD! It's a weird, disturbing and unsettling ride, and the only way you'll make it through is to rock it hard!

Micachu is a brilliant singer/songwriter/Dj/producer and this album showcases her ability to make songs that shouldn't work... well... work? I don't know where else you expected me to go with that sentence. Micachu doesn't construct nice, straightforward songs then scuzz them up to be more "cool", but takes scuzzy elements like crapped-out guitars and nasty keyboards and makes pop songs out of them, layering them with her lovely, if slightly bitter-sounding, voice.

Some songs a more straight-forward than others, such as "Golden Phone" and "Calculator", whereas others are shorter, more trippy affairs, such as "Sweet Heart", which starts with one hook, before breaking into a disparate punk rhythm. There's so much originality here, with twists and turns around every corner and some genuinely brilliant lyrics.

Now, I'm not gunna pretend that this album will be to everybody's tastes, but if you have a sufficiently open mind there's some great little songs here. There are a surprising number of sing-a-long moments and hip-waggling rhythms too, so if you're willing to make the jump from your nice clean world of slick production and narrow-minded marketeering, you might just find that "Jewellery" is actually a real gem.

I'm now going to go lie down after that terrible pun.

Chris/Audio Bigot.
xx

LIVE REVIEW: St. Vincent, Blue Roses and This Is My Normal State @ Thekla, Bristol

Finally! I get to review a gig at my favourite Bristol venue - THEKLA! Why is it so good? Well, its a tiny stage that gets a massive range of bands to play; from acts that still think its a big stage, to genuinely big names (I've seen Calvin Harris there, and Does It Offend You, Yeah? are set to play soon!)

Unfortunately though, I have to start the review badly. First support act, This Is My Normal State, are the most over-equipped, under-talented band I've ever seen. Gleefully misunderstanding the point of the atmospheric/shoegaze/epic indie thing, instead they just sound like a sterile kit-demo at a NAMM* boothe.

Now bands using computers is fine. I mean it makes sense; it opens up a world of possibilities, and if I ever get my act together and write anything I will probably be relying on Ableton to do a live show. But when I watch the show, I don't want to hear the click track for god's sake! And why does a band that's doing a 30 minute set at the front of the bill, having just recorded their 1st EP, need over a grands' worth of radio in-ear monitoring systems?

If this band were pumping out really amazing, life changing sounds I'd forgive them being tooled-up to the teeth... but instead, with a disappointing vocalist, a completely redundant cellist, and a guitarist who looks and acts like the kind of guy who does the band around his tech-support day job, these guys just reek undeserved ego. If you want to see this done properly, check out A Genuine Freakshow, or maybe The Big Pink.

Next up, and by complete contrast, were the lovely Blue Roses. From something sterile and techy, we move to something that couldn't be more grass-roots and natural. While not really breaking much new ground, the folky/blues thing is done very well here. Lovely vocals, with firm harmonies... I can see this young woman having at least one song that could become very dear to you.

It seems rude to say so much less about an act that I enjoyed than an act I didn't, but I want you to go and check out Blue Roses, and discover them for your self. Let's just say that this was a confident, disarming performance that will stay with me for a while. Check her out!

As I already said, I love Thekla. But Thekla, it seems, does not love St. Vincent. I've never seen so many things go wrong in a set; 2 broken strings, monitors not working and at least one amp not working properly... But still this is a tightly controlled set. Good for her.

St. Vincent (aka. Annie Clark and her 4 piece band) bring a refreshingly up-beat vibe to a room housing not a few gloomy hipsters**. Onstage, it's big grins a-plenty, as the band play out each funky, minimalist tune. Clark's sparkling guitar tones cut through well, and just as well because it's quite impressive playing.

Her band has a violinist and one guy who is an entire wood-wind section! They both use sampling/loop pedals to make themselves sound much bigger than they are, and the result is a lovely sound that's full and shimmering. Vocal harmonies are amazing aswell, with a full 4 part accapella section rounding off the main body of the set sounding so tight and well rehearsed it beggars belief.

After the second broken string, I felt that a bit of that buzz and enthusiasm may have escaped the band, but on the whole I'd say this was to be expected. This was still a really exciting set, and I'll be checking out her records soooon!

Thanks for reading!
Chris/Audio Bigot
xx

*Non-nerd translation: An international Expo, where music hardware/software manufacturers come to show of their latest variation on the loop-pedal/electronic drum kit/whatever...

**I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw a guy in a tweed suit, frilly shirt and a cool hair-do retrieve his vintage suitcase from behind the bar; much to the bemusement of the barman.

ALBUM REVIEW: Lungs by Florence + the Machine

Ok, so here it is. After a storming live performance at Glastonbury, will Flo/Mac's album live up to the hype? Well I'll be honest- It could be better.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. This album is a perfect example of the uniqueness that has propelled Florence and the Machine to such giddy levels of hype; Passion, harps, driving disco/rock beats and of course that amazing voice are all present and correct. The record pivots between stomping anthems with heart-beat drums ("Howl", "Dog Days Are Over"), bluesy ballads ("Girl With One Eye", "My Boy Builds Coffins") and the more radio friendly singles. It's also great to see "You've Got The Love" included here as a bonus track. I'm not going to suggest by a long way that her best song is a cover, but Miss Welch's voice is really amazing on this track.

Lyrically, it's strong, taking it back to an old school, story telling vibe. I guess that a lot of it is pseudo-fictional; wikipedia has a quote that claims she writes "stories with consequences and weird morality issues" and I'd say that kinda sums it up. In fact that's why I used it. Clever that, eh?

One special aspect of this album, is that it conceals among it's singer/songwriter, bluesy, harp-laden song-smith-ery a fair few tracks that can only be described as "party anthems". I certainly wouldn't complain if the DJ dropped "Kiss With A Fist" or "Hurricane Drunk" on my booze-y night out.

So far, so good. And before I start to say anything negative I want to qualify this. This album is good, and my grumbles are because it doesn't grab you by the collar and nut you with its awesomeness in the same way as the live show. An album this hyped, from such an exciting band, should be an immediate classic. And yet on my first listen, it didn't thrill me.

This is the heart of the matter. After such an electric set, you would expect the album to really jump out at you. But instead it falls limply into the slightly over-crowded category of "Growers". I'm gunna choose to blame the production. Reading the album's sleeve notes is quite a job... So many producers have been involved in the recording of this album, which in turn was recorded in quite a few different places.

Usually, a band does a debut album in 3 weeks or less, in a tiny studio with the biggest name producer they can find, and yeah, maybe it works for some bands to have the leisure of time and a bigger budget, but I don't think Florence and the Machine are one of those bands. The focus and excitement that the band convey live seems diluted on this record, and it's such a shame.

And so, I reach the end of the article. I suppose a summary might be a good idea? Ok. This album is good, you should check it out and maybe you'll grow to love it. But if you want the REAL Flo/Mac experience, get down the show. You won't be disappointed.

Cheers.
Chris/Audio Bigot
xx

p.s. Check out Jamie T's remix of "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)". It goes a long way to being better than the original.

For your knowledge...

Just so you know, Johnny Foreigner have a new single out called "Feels Like Summer"!

It's a bit awesome, but so far as I can tell it's not getting a proper release. Instead it's free to download from their new website, you just have to give your email address!

So go download. Now, boy!

In other news... I HAVE FLORENCE! The new album arrived on saturday morning ahead of the monday release, and I think I played it through at least 5 times that day! I'm planning to pen some thoughts on that matter tomorrow, closely followed by some succinct observations on the latest Animal Collective album. There'll probably be a few other things to go with it too so stay tuned!

Cheers.
Chris/Audio Bigot
xx

Glastonbury: My Experience

So last weekend was my first ever Glastonbury and I had a REALLY good time. A few people have said that I should do a review, but I don't think that's possible because a festival is really what you make of it! If you had a crap time then it's probably your own fault.

Instead, I'm gunna do a top 5 Best Moments, almost like a proper journalistic feature! HERE GOES!


NUMBER FIVE: Discovering that my tent, which I had eventually erected at the ridiculous hour of 2:30am on thursday, had in fact survived the day's absolute DOWNPOUR and remained waterproof. Result.

NUMBER FOUR: Following a 30 minute delay in their (probably unnecessarily) huge set up, N*E*R*D ended up over-running their slot massively. Since they showed no intention of finishing on time, the sound desk cut the sound from the main speakers half way through "Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing in the Line for the Bathroom)", but down the front we could still hear the sound coming from the onstage instruments and finished the song sing-a-long style! Achooo!

NUMBER THREE: This one, I feel, has to be a three way tie between Micachu and the Shapes' set, discovering the Rough Trade marquee*, and having been sat on the front barrier of the John Peel tent, turning round to discover that I really WASN'T the only one enjoying Esser's major tuneage... (The guy just looks quite grumpy, luv him!)

NUMBER TWO: Frankly, Bloc Party's whole set was amazing; the kind of life-affirming set that makes you realise that this band are gunna be with us for a while, and I'd be quite happy to bet that in 30-40 years time they'll enjoy the kind of status Led Zeppelin or Queen have now. However, my second best moment of the festival was when Kele Okereke returned to stage crying "Where the fuck do you think you're going?" They then played "This Modern Love" and kicked ass!

NUMBER ONE: The crowd's reaction to Florence and the Machine's "Dog Days Are Over". Hands down, one of the biggest moments of insanity I've ever witnessed. For some reason she played that song and the John Peel tent just went NUTS. She nearly cried as well, bless. But the really amazing thing is that she hasn't even got an album out yet! This woman is destined for big things, and God sparing her any Winehouse-style drama, should be one of the most important singers to happen to the 21st Century. And shes a BABE.

So there we go! A complete weekend of awesomeness boiled down to 5 easily digestible chunks! It in no way does it any justice, but then it was never going to was it!

Until next time!
Chris/The Audio Bigot
xx

*Where else can you take your pint in a record store? Best thing since coffee in a bookshop!

ALBUM REVIEW: Braveface by Esser

Well I was initially presented with the knowledge of this album's existence in the hot-bed of frivolous spending that is Fopp... but I didn't buy it because I thought he looked like a bit of a twat on the album cover! Later, however, I heard "Headlock" and realised that this guy is actually MINT.

This album is a short, sharp shock that doesn't beat around the bush and gets down to work with knocking out singable/danceable/listenable TUNE after TUNE. It's the sort of immediacy that made We Are Scientist's debut so essential, and the sentiment is kind of similar. On the surface this is pure party music, but the lyrics are heartfelt. For obvious reasons though, Esser's voice and lyrics are so much more British, and this heritage is reflected musically. Much like Lilly Allen's early stuff, there's the kind of ska/reggae vibe running through that's so much more London than Jamaica, married with a kind of mainstream polish that makes this accessible while not for a moment damaging the authenticity.

Singles "Headlock" and "Satisfied" are standout tracks here, with their shuffling, purposefully off-beat rhythms and Big Love for Trojan Records, but the restricted tracklist has no room for bum numbers.

This is a really fun album, that's got the seriousness and fidelity to last. Certainly a promising debut.

Still looks like a twat though...

Chris/Audio Bigot.
xx

ALBUM REVIEW: Mama, I'm Swolen by Cursive [Warning, this review may contain SPOILERS!]

So after buying about 3 music magazines the other day in a desperate attempt to become even more "down with it" I learned two things: One is that the NME is shocking, the other is that Cursive are pretty cool. Now I must warn you from the outset that this album is, without doubt, a concept album. If you think you can handle that then read on, and frankly I think it would be better if you did.

The album's lyrics tell the story of a son trying to justify himself as a flawed human in the face of his bible-bashing mother, but I almost feel like I should stop there for risk of inflicting SPOILERS upon you! That's cos the lyrics are very well written, and while they're at times slightly too melodramatic they never reach David Tennant levels of over-exaggeration [yeah, that's right, I just dissed the Doctor. What you gunna do?]. It helps that the vocal delivery is sincere, and more creepy than whiny.

Musically, there are a few moments that sound like an alt-rock Alkaline Trio ["In the Now"], turbo-charged blues ["I Couldn't Love You"] and some macabre atmospheric moments. Quite a few songs, including personal favourite "Mama, I'm Satan", sound really restrained for the most part, but then RIP IT UP about 1/2 way through. The song structures are varied though, so its not a straightforward case of "down, up, next song, down, up, next song...". It's gripping. I was particularly drawn to the intelligent drumming, which becomes almost as much a melodic instrument as the guitars. There's also some pretty cool alternative instrumentation (never before has a flute been so rock 'n' roll)!

There's just one problem, and it's completely unfair because it's got nothing to do with the album. It's a damn good album. It's gripping, it's varied, it's got some really great moments... but for me this is all ruined by three fairly sizable letters...

M.C.R.

Three years ago, My Chemical Romance released "The Black Parade", and while I don't think it was all that bad, it was an epic disappointment compared to "Three Cheers..." That, coupled with their poncing around in uniforms and singing "Ooh look at us we're doing a concept album aren't we so relevant! We heard "Sgt. Pepper..." once and we like Queen and all those bands that our fans are too young to remember because they weren't even born yet" just got on every ones tits.

And the problem is that I can't listen to "Mama, I'm Swollen" without wanting to kick some sense into the stupid 12 year olds who turn up to MCR shows in full Black Parade regalia! To be honest, if MCR had released this album instead I would have joined the ranks, grabbed a jacket and some guy-liner and hope that my balls would un-drop. But as it happens they didn't and now they're spoiling other songs for me!

So quit pissing in the punch, Way! No one cares anymore!

Chris/Audio Bigot
xx

ALBUM REVIEW: Manners by Passion Pit

OK, so I must confess that I ended up not going to see Blackbud. This was for a few reasons, one of which was that the new House episodes were on TV. This is important.

BUT instead of that (potentially) thrilling review, we have some ground breaking developments. I would like to report that for the first time ever, my sister has gotten me into a band. For the first time, the ever flowing river of recommendation has turned, and I am made to admit the greatness of a band she brought to the house.

This band is Passion Pit, and their new LP "Manners" is bloody good.

Don't be fooled by the muted colour scheme of the album art, because this album is derived from the kind of shoutitfromtherooftops euphoria that usually settles in half way through "Hoppipolla", spread out over 45 minutes. "Manners" oscillates between sounding like a high pitched Motion City Soundtrack ("Make Light") or a more resolutely happy Death Cab For Cutie ("Moth's Wings", "To Kingdom Come" and "Let Your Love Grow Tall") and the chunky/funky electro sounds one imagines would occur if the Twelves remixed the Rent soundtrack ("Little Secrets", "The Reeling").

The production is far tighter than I've heard before, with the stomping kick drums cutting through, and ridiculously high vocals grabbing the album by the scruff of the neck and throwing it into the "party music" category.

Now because I'm an essayist at heart I'm gunna have to come up with some negatives, and they are thus: One, I know a great deal many people who would become annoyed with that vocal very quickly; and Two, a lot of the tracks are just a LITTLE too long (especially the first few super-happy tracks, for which it is difficult to keep the same level of enthusiasm going over the full 4.5 mins).

Other than that, I think this is a fine debut full-length, and I can see it soundtracking a lot of road trips with the sis.

Ciao.
Chris/Audio Bigot
xx

What's playing in the "Office"

OK, so here are 5 tunes that have been stuck in my head recently:

1. "Juggernauts" - Enter Shikari
2. "I Am Azerrad" - Tubelord
3. "Black Wax" - Dananananaykroyd
4. "Zero" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
5. "Sometimesitsbetternottostickbitsofeachotherineachotherforeachother" - Hot Club de Paris

So now you know. Blackbud tonight! Yay.
C.x

p.s. I ignored "In The Mood" by Glen Miller, because that's always there...

ALBUM REVIEW: Skanky Skanky by Toddla T

Bout a year ago I heard "Full Up Me Portion" on a free magazine sampler and it was one of those magical moments where the track comes on and you know that something special just invaded your brain. It's an immediate track that don't beat around the bush (literally "Snare... and we're in") and Mr. Versatile's slick and funny lyrics really make this a classic.

A year later, was it worth the wait? (And I mean wait, I was on his site at least twice a week until a release date popped up.)

Well I'll start with the negatives.

1. He renamed "Full Up Ma Portion"! It's exactly the same track that was previously available... but now it's called "Rice & Peas"! WTF?!
2. The skits that proliferate the album are funny at first... but at the end of the day just get on your tits after a few listens. Especially since they aren't cut as separate tracks, which is always a pain in the arse if you're into your mixtapes. Like me.
   
3. The best tracks on the album are the ones that have been kicking around for a while anyway. If you happen to have the "Do You Know?" Ep already, then there's not really much reason to get this! Instead, go on iTunes and download "Goin Off" and lead single "Shake It" and that's about all you need.

THAT SAID!

This is still a good album, and if you're fresh to the T (which I'm guessing will be quite likely) then most of those criticisms don't apply to you. The beats are fresh and vibrant in a way that Armand Van Helden can't even comprehend (That's the other guy who did Bonkers by the way. In fact I'd say he did most of the work.) There is some great stuff here, with some quality guest vocals; though no one can top the brilliant chemistry Mr. Versatile brings to proceedings, Roots Manuva and Tinchy Stryder both make a few sweet appearances and an unexpected colab from Benjamin Zephaniah takes a brave stab at a more down-tempo sound.

Not all the tracks are top notch, and maybe a 10 song tracklist would have been more realistic, but then I'd probably be complaining about value-for-money. Probably. In the mean time, settle for some classics, some quality new tunes and MAYBE a few presses of the FFWD button. No more than 3 tho, I promise. You should definitely stick it out, as final track "Better" is a gorgeous eletro-keys driven late-night track that has to be heard.

At the end of the day, the slightly insane, blippy noise that comes off this disc is thoroughly enjoyable, and if you haven't already got a wide selection of T Willy's tunes then there's nothing to complain about here! It was a long wait... "but I'm glad for you, yeeaaaahhh!"

Chris/Audio Bigot
xx

EP REVIEW: A Genuine Freakshow's free sampler!

Wow, a week just slips by hey?

Ok, so on monday I saw A Genuine Freakshow supporting The Northwestern at the Louisiana. Now the other two bands on the bill were pretty lame: Tripwires need to change chords more often than every 4 bars, and the Northwestern were just very bland (their insistence on having 3 guitars playing just crowds the sound and made it difficult to really hear anything going on. Also some dynamics would have been appreciated. Oh well.)

But after the show, AGF were handing out free samplers and I've gotta say, that it's pretty impressive stuff. The sleeve inlay touts them as "A seven-piece, experimental, post-everything pop bonanza". Now I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean. I also take issue with the comparison with Sigur Ros, which I think is kinda off...

My personal soundbite? Well... "Jingly jangly indie guitars get the orchestral treatment and a proper drummer." That's close enough...

One thing I did note is the refreshing brevity of the songs. The 1st track, "We Are The Undercurrents", clocks in at only 1:52. In fact the total for the three tracks here is less than 10 mins! It's nice to see that the band are capable of condensing their ideas down to the essentials; pruning back the guff that other bands might leave in because its "progressive"...

The result is a focus on the song, old school style, where the orchestration revolves around and works to compliment a particular melodic idea. Know what I mean?

It's good stuff. Vocals are strong, production is tight, and the writing is innovative. If you're a fan of Guillemots, Soe'za or possibly "Silent Alarm" era Bloc Party then this band are well worth checking out when their debut album comes out (I'm told that may be some time in September). Expect a mention on this page, naturally!

Coming up: Gunna see Blackbud on monday, which should be fun. Also, a long list of albums I want to buy is building again. Expect Toddla T, Ebony Bones, Enter Shikari and if I suck it up and pay the £15 that seems to be the lowest price on Free Blood's singles amalgamation then that too!

Superdupermegalove.
Chris/Audio Bigot.
xx

Glastonbury Line-Up Announced! I REACT!

Ok so Glastonbury is less than 28 days away (or 4 weeks, if u perfer it like that) and at the start of the week the full line up was announced!

Now, I've gotta say that up to this point I was kinda worried that the highlights of the weekend would be Franz Ferdinand and Rolf Harris who, while being GREAT, aren't exactly what I was thinking of when I got the ticket (big thanks to me uncles for that!). But now it's looking sweet.

Things I'm looking forward to? Well at the moment it looks like I might just camp out at the Queen's Head stage for ALL of thursday (Golden Silvers, Ebony Bones and Metronomy YES!) and I can't wait to see Enter Shikari, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Bat For Lashes back to back on sunday. It's gunna be tight yaaal!

Blur headlining will be awesome of course... Unfortunately I'm not gunna be arround for T in the Park (the line-up makes me gurgle.... must see.... Mars... Volta....) and I was kinda worried that I was gunna miss them, because they had said they were only doing one show, but clearly they were refering to the Hyde Park shows that they're doing.

So? Complete list of bands I'm psyched about off the top of my head before I get into the messy business of rummaging through Myspace? Well if you insist...

Metronomy;Ebony Bones;Golden Silvers;We Have Band;Fleet Foxes;Regina Spektor;Bloc Party;Friendly Fires;The Streets;Rolf Harris;Annie Mac;Chip Munk;Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band;Dizzee Rascal;Franz Ferdinand;Pendulum;Maximo Park;Peter, Bjorn and John;Florence And The Machine;Passion Pit;Baddies;2ManyDJs;Deadmau5;La Roux;Wiley;Blur;Bat For Lashes;Yeah Yeah Yeahs;Enter Shikari;Roots Manuva;Micachu and the Shapes;The Magic Numbers;Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong!

Gunna be a lot of running going on I think...
Until next time!
Chris/Audio Biggot/Noodles
xx

P.S. Find the official complete line up here: http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news/2009-line-up-revealed

ALBUM REVIEW: A Thousand Shark's Teeth by My Brightest Diamond

Well I've had this album for ages, but for two reasons I'm gunna revisit it: The 1st is that things have been a little bit heavy round here so far and I like to keep things balanced; the second is that it's lovely and Shara Worden doesn't get the praise she deserves over here.

A Thousand Shark's Teeth is a beautiful album; from the anthemic opener "Inside A Boy", to the achingly slow "If I Were Queen" and the stubby upbeat number "Apples". It is built of songs, rather than beats or riffs, which is refreshing in the modern pop music scene. There is some vairiety here, but the majority of tracks are strongly grounded in the department of strings and quasi-operatic vocals, with guitars and rock drums used sparingly and to good effect.

The production is sparse, and sounds pretty low budget. But the vocals are the main attraction and they always sound right on the mark. Unfortunately, the lyrics don't allways stand up to close scrutiny, but the awkwardnes often works, bringing a charm to it all. It's realy quite sweet.

I can't find much to say that's negative about this album, other than that it's very mellow. It's not much good if you're looking for something upbeat, and a bit of versatility is something I like to see in a record. That said, Shara is very good at writing these kind of songs, and the resulting album is a briliant listen if you're in the mood.

I can't wait for My Brightest Diamond to make annother trip back over the pond, I reckon this would make a damn good show. Maybe some day, and if so you can be sure there'll be a review on this page.

Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a message if you like the blog. You don't have to register, just choose "Guest Pass" or whatever from the drop down...

Chris/Audio Biggot
xx

A few quick thoughts...

• Why does every one go completely mad over Green Day every time they bring out new material? I mean they're ok, but they aren't THAT good. The new album came out recently, and you can pretty much guarantee that they'll be flooding the mainstream media for atleast a month now. Get a grip!
• The new Black Eyed Peas song is a bit naff. It sounds like they just found a sampler in the corner of the studio and had a 30 min. dick arround with some guy saying "let the beat rock", then cut it and whacked it on iTunes before it could get leaked. Also, the irony that Fergie was about 5 months too late to realy get away with the "two thousand and late" line just cracks me up.
• The guy who replaces Colin Murray had better be good. I love that show, but it's all coming to a close as of next week. Gutted.
• Enter Shikari's new A-side "Juggernaughts" is amazing, and has been stuck in my head for a while. I got the free download "Antwerpen" a while back and was kinda worried the new material would suck, but this is classic ES stuff and I'm now well psyched for the album, which drops some time in June. Also, I may have to pick up a few of their T-shirts cos they look brill!
• I need to find the Doorly remix of "Bonkers". WHERE IS IT?!
  

Thas' all for now!
Chris/Audio Biggot/Rattle Your Bones!!

ALBUM REVIEW: Nights Out by Metronomy

Ok, this is a good album.

But I guess that's not realy a deep enough review so here goes with the words... Nights Out is a dance and electronic record that plays like a rock album; theres plenty of light and dark. Instrumental tracks are mixed with "proper" pop songs, and the good news is that Metronomy are good at both. The lyrical content is solid, if not award-winning, and the instrumentals are crammed with ideas and never sound sterile.

Infact the whole album sounds fresh. Even if you, for some strange reason, happen to have spent the last week constantly listening to the entire works of Hot Chip and New Order on shuffle and repeat, I reckon this would still manage to sound original. I mean its quite easy to draw comparisons with these bands (awkward guitar sounds, lazy/reverbey vocals and consistent use of that "Blue Monday" drum sound), but the result is something new and exciting. It's homage, not imitation.

Nights Out also manages to make it into the elite group of albums where the singles aren't the clear stand out tracks; there are plenty of other tracks that could of made a decent A side. Admitedly, having just now Wiki'ed the album I find that all the ones I was gunna list here WERE infact released as A-sides (take note kids: Always do the research! :P) but the point still stands, showing the strength of the material.

Baisically, this is a realy strong album, and if you're feeling cheep and want something that's both realy danceable AND a good listen then you can't go wrong here. Meanwhile, I'll be adding this to my list of discs to not loose.

G'day!
Chris/Audio Biggot

LIVE REVIEW: Gallows and Every Time I Die @ O2 Academy 18/5

Right, well this is gunna go a hell of a lot different to how I thought it would. Having bought the ticket mainly to see ETID, I wasn't expecting to realy enjoy Gallows as much. But I was wrong.

Throats kicked the bill off. I don't wanna say too much because the sound was a bit crap, the crowd weren't into it and I didn't realy care much about them. Sorry. They got a lot better as the set went on with plenty of head nodding riffs, but they lack any realy distinctive spark.

Then Every Time I Die strut on. The sound man gets his act together cos it sounds mint here. Those wonderful Marshall guitar walls are clear and crisp, and vocals come over strong. They play a mix of songs from all three full-lengths, which is always nice, plus a brand new one off their up-comming 4th which goes down well and sounds tight.

It's a quality set that's only slightly tarnished when Frank Gallows rushes the stage and dives straight into the crowd. The resulting tussle with the bouncers brings the band to a halt mid-song and rather than starting from the top they skip it and move on. The singer says something about "that's how it's ment to be played", but nads to that! It was a good track and we didn't get to hear it! I mean when we pay £15 (yeah, that's FIFTEEN!) we expect to hear the whole damn set. Ahem. Other than that it's a good solid show, that certainly makes me wanna go dig out my copy of Gutter Phenomenon and play it bloody loud a few times.

When Gallows take to the stage, it is draped with grey union jack flags, to tie in with their new album artwork. It should be noted that I'm not a massive fan and not know many of their songs, other than a few off "Orchestra of Wolves" but that turned out to be fine! The energy was such that I was drawn right in anyway.

There was a nice supprise instore too! Eva Spence, of Rolo Tomassi, was waiting in the wings to come on and blow out her birthday candles. WHY? becasuse it's her birthday. Oh why was she in Bristol? no idea. But she and some other guy (???) then proceeded to sing guest vocals on a track and rip the stage up!

By the end, there are plenty of people jumping on and off stage, which just adds to the manic energy of the set. When Frank launches himself from the stairs to the top floor straight into the pit... well yeah that pretty much sums it up.

They close the set by bringing out 4 snare drums and play out a funeral march. It's a nice touch that brings the set to a clean conclusion.

I'm now nackered, so that's all I'm gunna say on the matter. It was a good set and I strongly reccomend getting a ticket next time they rock up in your town.

Much love.
Chris/Noodles/Audio Biggot
xx

ALBUM REVIEW: Waited Up Til It Was Light by Johnny Foreigner

Right, so I got this album on the morning of their Bristol gig (which I can't be arsed to review. It was ok. Tubelord supported, and they were ace. I wish my name were Azerrad.)

The three piece play a big noisy Northern-rock sound that's not un-similar to label mates Danananananananananananananaykroyd, but never seems to satisfy. The record sounds slightly uncomfortable, and big hooks like the chorus of "Eyes Wide Terrified" never seem to sparkle the way they should, but instead get kind of lost in the rest of the song.

If you ask me, the key to this band is to realise how cute they are. They have a twinge of the american alternative scene in them (eg. The Shins, Mates of Sate, Shout Out Louds... or practically any T-Mobile advert music) that beams through the racket and tells you that it's ok. Admitedly, it's not an obvious assesment to make, but the lyrics and vocals in general bring a distinct new flavour to the sound that distinguishes this band from other heavy northen acts, with their yelps and non-sensical lyrics about big cat assault... for example.

Of course this doesn't apply to stand out track, and general GEM of a song, "Salt, Peppa and Spinderella". While synths feature in other songs on the album, this is the only track that incorperates them as a key feature, resulting in an urgent and imediate pop sound. Stripping back the huge guitars give the vocals room to breathe, and some of the best lyrics and melodys get their fair share of space in the mix here. This song realy is great. (and the video is cool too, you can check it at their myspazz)

Unfortunately though, it realy overshadows the rest of the material here, which I don't feel has been realised well on record. Apparently, the band have just got back from america, where they were recording their seccond full-length. I've got higher hopes for this record and will be checking it out fo sho!

Ultimately then, a promising but ultimately unconvincing album.

Cheers.
Chris/Audio Biggot

LIVE REVIEW: Rolo Tomassi / Grammatics / Pulled Apart By Horses NORTHERN ALLIENCE TOUR!

Ok, so baisically these gigs were one of the main reasons I've decided to set up this blog. They we're THAT good.

Now I'm talking in plurals because I actually attended 3 of the gigs on this tour; in Bristol at the Croft, in Cardiff at the Barfly, and in Oxford at the O2 Academy 3 on 28/4, 29/4 and 4/5 respectively. I've gotta say that they were all pretty stellar gigs, though for the sake of cohesion I'm going to review the Oxford gig here.

So we rock up in plenty of time to catch the opening band, Pulled Apart By Horses, who are the perfect band to kick off the evening. They epitomised the role of the warm-up act and got the crowd moving within the 1st track, with their combination of Death From Above 1979 dance floor grooves and big, Reuben-esque riffs. Most of the energy the crowd gets comes straight from the guys though, as singer Tom plays a good portion of the set from the front row and guitarist James refuses to stay at ground level- clambering over the bar during one break-down, despite a knee injury that saw him pull out of the tour in the early stages. Stand out track for me has to be "High Five Nose Dive Swan Dive", which introduces massive tempo changes to what is otherwise a full-steam-ahead set with powerful results, although single "I Punched A Lion In The Throat" never dissapoints.

Problems? We'll the guys seriously need to invest in some wireless systems for their guitars if they're going to continue to asault the punter's personal space. Not that we mind getting up close and personal, but sorting out the cables and CONSTANTLY kicking out the pedals realy breaks up the pace of what is otherwise a thrilling set.

Next up are the leeds based art-rock gods Grammatics. Possibly the source of many scratched heads, their inclusion on the bill seems a bit obscure on paper, but works perfectly on the night. They offer a respite for those intent on moshing to hell and back, and a melodic oasis for those seeking some variety.

The performance is effortless. Melodies that would leave annother man with severe marital problems flow from singer Owen like they're nothing, and drummer Dom keeps things tight, despite the complicated and involving paterns. Fans of the band may have been slightly dissapointed with the set list though; single "The Vague Archive" and fan favourite "Rosa Flood" are sorely missed, and the inclusion of album closer "Swan Song" seems dubious. However, to discount the set on this fact is to disregard what makes the band so great in the first place. The band's music makes use of the so-called "rule book" when it suits them, but they aren't afraid to deviate if they want to. The same can be said of the setlist; opener "Shadow Committee" and closer "Relentless Fours" remain firmly in place as staple standards, but the format in between is unexpected and exciting. Furthermore, the new as yet unnamed song they played shows real promise, all "doo doo dooos" and hip waggling rhythms.

Finally, headliners Rolo Tomassi take to the stage, Rock and Roll guns blaring. To look at, you wouldn't expect what would happen next, and indeed the friends I had brought along were pretty shocked.

I could now plough on through the relatively boring and well trodden ground of saying how cute and disarming singer Eva is, or how mad her brother James seems to go WHILE STILL KICKING EVERYONE'S ASS AS A KEYBOARDIST, but the reality is that I had a tete a tete with annother bloke in the mosh pit during the 1st song and can't remember a lot of the set. They were ace on all the other nights though!

They close with "Fantasia", the 10 minute epic that closes their album, but on this, the last night of the tour, they are joined for the final riff by Grammatics and PABH. All thirteen band members clamber onto the tiny stage to thrash out the final melody, and a big shout out to the sound guy for managing to make it sound half decent!

This is why this tour was such a success though. All three bands seem to have gotten on so well and kicked ass every night. It's a real party atmosphere as the set closes, and the bands abandon their merch stalls to go get pissed somewhere. Good job.

Thanks for reading,
Chris/Audio Biggot/Rattle Your Bones!!/Whatever...

P.S. Ta muchly to Rory for getting me on the guest list....... Bloc Party in Bristol? I seem to be lacking a ticket... :P

Experimental Parameters

So yeah!

Following a sharp decline in the number of people objecting to my musical taste, I've decided to set up this blog and force it down the collective throat of the internet. Either people are getting smart to sweet music, or I'm just running out of friends. Lets find out!

Cheers guys, Keep reading!
Audio Biggot/Chris/Noodles/Rattle Your Bones!!