Posted: March 10th, 2010 | Author: Liz | Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Kathryn Williams, Liz Croly | No Comments »
Similarly to Caitlin Rose’s new album this show’s a string folk influence however from the first song “50 White Lines” seems a lot darker, especially with the backing vocals chanting the song title in a lingering manner, it becomes slightly haunting. “Just a Feeling” has something very Fleetwood Mac about it, which I enjoy, purely in the music not so much the vocals, although these remain soft and interesting with its calm backing vocals once more.
“Wanting and Waiting” seems a little more upbeat and positive, with rings of Belle and Sebastian in a way, which is always a lovely sound to adopt. Although I have to say I would prefer some dramatic instrumentals from what I have heard so far. “Just Leave” does this to an extent with more interesting concoction of sounds… However the vocals remain very much the same, although- Kathryn Williams’ voice is still impressive and I seem to be warming to it with the more I listen to.
“Cream of the Crop” has a more bluesy and jazzy sound to it, and is a little Corrine Bailey Rae at times, in the very best of ways. I imagine to see this performed live would be atmospheric beyond belief. Another track that particularly caught my attention is “Noble Guess” which made me realise the one thing that attracts me to this album is the similarities it holds to Joni Mitchell, an all time favourite of mine.
“Little Lesson” is a lovely track, with a more upbeat and folk feel which i thoroughly enjoy, followed by “Up North” which proves that “The Quickening” would be the perfect album for a summers day and will definitely be played throughout by myself and many more i imagine.
Posted: March 3rd, 2010 | Author: Liz | Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Caitlin Rose, Liz Croly | No Comments »
I first listened to “Dead Flowers” on a long old train journey and as soon as I heard “Shotgun Wedding”, it felt very fitting for cheering up a gloomy day ridden with typical British weather- a definite good mood setter. “Answer in One of These Bottles” puts across a feeling I think every one of us has at least twice a month, if you’re annoyed, stressed, confused… Have a drink, and why not write a song about it along the way? Due to realistic contents alone this song was immediately in my good books. Caitlin Rose’s voice although strong has something very calming about it which i believe is enjoyable throughout the album.
The next track “Three Cigarettes in an Ash Tray” sounds dated, but in no means is this a bad thing- there are certain points the vocals remind me of Stevie Nicks- I can’t quite pin point why, but it’s a good thing none the less. “Docket” however Rose’s voice is much softer and the guitar similar to that of Carla Bruni in “Quelqu’un M’a Dit” (ignoring the obvious cultural difference) simply meaning it’s a lot more subtle therefore making you concentrate on the lyrics again, “all I’ve ever wanted is to be free”. Yes, It is another song about belongings not creating happiness, but it’s a lot more general and honest as opposed to idealistic and full of fantasy which pulls it away from the rest. As soon as I saw the title “Gorilla Man” I automatically expected something similar to “Apeman” by The Kinks, purely because it’s a favourite of mine, but how wrong I was. In all honesty the tambourine wears a little thin by the end of the song, and it is a track I’d more than likely skip often, but every album has one of those.
The album title track “Dead Flowers” Rose reminded me of a more vocally harsh Alison Krauss in her acapella version of “Down in the River to Pray” a strange comparison, I know but it just has something similar about it, i think it may even be the pace of he chorus and the obvious similar style of “take me down”. The final track “T-Shirt” continues with the tambourine, which I think I’ve just discovered I dislike, not just in this album but in fair few- well you learn something new every day. The song itself is more poetic and like a conversation or letter, which is lovely. “Dead Flowers” is an enjoyable album which I imagine will go down very well in the summer on the seafront; I would say chilled would best describe it.
Posted: January 5th, 2010 | Author: Liz | Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Liz Croly, Wintersleep | No Comments »
Canadian quintet Wintersleep have emerged from Halifax and with their second self titled album show some bizarre qualities mixed together that seem to work. The opening track “Lipstick” is vocally comparable to a combination of Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil and Death Cab for Cuties Ben Gibbard. A lot of albums with this sound are easily predicted from beginning to end and I thought this would be the case with Wintersleep, however I was proved wrong and you can’t judge an album by just one song.
“Jaws of Life” is an excellent track with catchy lyrics and memorable beat, a beat that has been demonstrated by many bands before but never seems to disappoint. The sudden pauses emphasise the power in the song only to hear it end and lead into the beautiful track “Insomnia”. Here you hear softer vocals from Paul Murphy, this pin points something I really enjoyed about the album, despite getting to know the bands sound quickly it develops throughout the album and shows all things that the guys are capable of as opposed to sticking to the same old safe and most comfortable option.
“Nerves Normal. Breath Normal” brings the album back to it’s upbeat height only to be dropped with the lovely “Faithful Guide”, an acoustic number that combines almost every talent showed in previous tracks, with a powerful (to say the least) ending. “Danse Macabre” has a great intro that lives up to the name of the track and is a personal favourite as it reminds me of the days where Smashing Pumpkins were the best indie rock going (in a personal opinion) and proved how much times have changed for this genre in the previous years. The final track “People Talk” is again mainly acoustic and is a calming closing track. The music throughout shows that the band obviously know their stuff and aren’t just another set of ever hopefuls wishing on chance. I believe Wintersleep genuinely deserve all the good press they receive.
Posted: January 3rd, 2010 | Author: Liz | Filed under: Reviews | Tags: 2562, Liz Croly | No Comments »
I think everyone’s beginning to appreciate dubstep that little bit more at the moment, with the likes of Skream, Rusko and Joker being posted all over Radio1, however contrary to popular belief it goes much further. I’ve heard people label it as “boring”, “repetitive” and “annoying” but I guess that’s a matter of opinion. The Dutch artist 2562 (Dave Huismans to his friends) get’s his name from the postcode in The Hague, Netherlands- his hometown known to be central for dubstep. “Unbalance” is an interesting and successful development from the 2008 album “Aerial”.
A favourite on the album is Flashback which can almost be described as fascinating, although repetitive it remains absorbing, this then leads to the next track Lost- another hypnotic track with vanishing recurring vocals. Dinosaur is a highlight of the album for me, however does sound strangely similar to that of Flying Lotus with hints of Martyn (also on label Tectonic). I then heard Superflight which shows that token dubstep beat that I’d been waiting for in short bursts towards the beginning and grasps a space age sound.
As you reach Yes/No the hypnotic feel may begin to get to you, however I advise listening further- Who Are You Fooling? kicks in with some unruly beats combined with incredible sub which breaks occasionally to continue the space age feel. Whether you call it break beat, dubstep or a near future experience, it’s impressive and interesting not to mention worth owning.
Posted: January 2nd, 2010 | Author: Liz | Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Liz Croly, Wintersleep | No Comments »
This is the first of 2 self titled Wintersleep albums, and it is a noticeable start for the band. From the opening track “Sore” it is easy to presume that this was a first album from the band. With shaky vocals and careful instrumentals the band are clearly testing the waters before beginning to show their true colours, by “Snowstorm” and “Avalanche” the band begin to shine through and it almost seems as if they are sitting more comfortably.
A favourite of mine is “Home” however disappointingly leads into “Caliber” which obviously holds a more negative tone and harsher vocals, although variation is a positive aspect, I prefer the original style put across. The melodic guitar works in its favour but simpler and calmer vocals may have been a better accompaniment. Besides “Assembly Lines” and “Motion” the second half of the album becomes a little monotonous and I was tempted to call it a day, however it just seems that the boys had allowed themselves to slip into a comfort zone and remain there for a good 15 minutes, which is never wise.
The second self titled album proves that the Canadian quintet are capable of much more than this and I’m so glad they decided to show it, otherwise I’d fear good talent was going to waste. Therefore as much as I regret to say, this album didn’t work for me and simply didn’t do the band justice therefore letting the second album take rein and show their true skills and imagination.
Posted: December 5th, 2009 | Author: Liz | Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Liz Croly, Timshel | No Comments »
As I first listened to Timshel’s EP “The Vagabond Cain” all I could hear was a bizarre Pearl Jam cover band who have decided to write their own material, however after listening a few times I came to realise this wasn’t the case at all. The mixture of classic rock and grunge along with an Audioslave-esque twang definitely inspired me to dig out older albums by the likes of Ugly Kid Joe and Soundgarden. It’s a style of music I feel is becoming more and more forgotten as the math rock and typically “indie” take over and I therefore found Timshel to be a refreshing reminder of the good ol’ favourites.
The opening track and strangely titled “Carbonara #3” gave me the first thoughts of Pearl Jam; it’s mainly the vocals that reminded me of them as well as the sudden pauses that result in a heavy rock outburst, this is something that once discovered becomes noticeable throughout the EP. “The Vagabond Cain” is riddled with riffs that immediately allow you to imagine the lumberjack shirts, ripped jeans and flowing hair of 80’s rock and in no way am I complaining.
Track 4- “Trapped Light Escapes” has that hint of a Tom Morello intro which reappears throughout, at this point it seems the Audioslave influence has been taken a little far, but where Tom Morello has his signature sound it’s understandably tricky for bands to make this their own. The final two tracks “We Be Believed” and “The Tree Frog Song” seem to show the heavier side of the EP showcasing the boy’s talent with heavy guitar solos and fast lyrical flare-ups. Overall Timshel seem to have a good, simple sound that has been, still is and always will be popular.
Posted: December 2nd, 2009 | Author: Liz | Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Hennessy Keane, Liz Croly | No Comments »
Hennessy Keane are a duo from Hampshire which I originally found difficult to believe considering their obvious West American country influence. The band formed just over a year ago yet have that successful experienced country sound. The boys obviously have raw talent and this calming album doesn’t fail to show this. Lyrics on some tracks reflect on the personal experiences of the two, such as “Uncle Johnny” and “First Time” with themes of love and change in circumstance explaining how Shaun Hennessy and Ian Keane have been altered by this.
“Nowhere Fast” comprises of a combination of traditional country with its strong sense of religion and modern subjects. The first time I heard “Soldiers Wife” I couldn’t help but make the comparison between Hennessy Keane and Johnny Cash- I know, I know a brave comparison to assign, however I believe there’s something in Shaun Hennessy’s emotional tone that deserves this especially when considering the romantic imagery portrayed in the lyrics.
I highly recommend this album to anyone with a taste for country, despite the reasonably small opening for it in the UK when compare to America, perhaps it’d be beneficial for the duo to cross the water and put themselves forwards over there, I can’t help but think they’d be appreciated that little bit more.
Posted: November 29th, 2009 | Author: Liz | Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Ben Reel, Liz Croly | 2 Comments »
“Time to Get Real” is an overpowering album, beginning with “Rainy Night” which holds that typical country feel with a striking harmonica introduction portraying a noticeable influence of Neil Young which becomes more apparent as you listen to the album. Reel grew up in County Armagh, Ireland and first picked up a guitar at the age of 10, it seems that this was the wisest decision he could have made. The album is packed with beautifully emotional lyrics and when combined with the powerful guitar you find yourself occupied by the album and without realising it’s over.
Backing vocals from Julieanne Reek are especially exceptional on “Summers Always Here” and furthers the romantic feel. As the album continues you experience the wide range of musical variety Ben Reel has to offer, with more upbeat tracks with a funk beat such as “Who You Are” as well as the more traditionally Irish “Old & Wise” not to mention the title track which combines all styles put forward on the album to create a successfully typical country rock penultimate track to begin the end of the album. “Time to Get Real” ends with the mostly instrumental track “Old Bog Road” which is the non visual equivalent to a theatres encore, powerful and memorable- two words that I believe may best describe the album.
Posted: November 18th, 2009 | Author: Liz | Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Liz Croly, Passion Pit | No Comments »
Walking into the SUSU I was surrounded by quirky attempts at Halloween costumes worn by over excited teenagers who partly made me want to linger at the back of the bar let alone the venue. With the first support act “The Joy Formidable” playing was interesting however it was an excuse to hit the bar, next was Max Tundra who was bizarre and caught attention especially with his strangely and almost robotic dancing. Then entered Passion Pit and the room filled as you could hear waves of screams from the excited fans on Halloween, the guitarist enters in a red and white silk boxing robe to the Rocky theme tune making everybody in the building aware that it’s his birthday which was a dramatic and impressive beginning to the show.
I have seen Passion Pit previously at this year’s Reading Festival in the NME tent, and was shocked by the livelihood of the band but in an enclosed venue they blew me away; believe it or not a male voice can reach such a high pitch! When the performed “Little Secrets” the audience sang their loudest and Michael Angelakos seemed surprised at the volume of what I thought was a reasonably small crowd. Their best known and in my opinion most energetic and exciting song “Sleepyhead” was performed with great power and even those who had previously stood quiet and observant couldn’t help but let loose.
Throughout the performance I would find it difficult to fault the band especially considering their encore, playing “The Reeling” the previously knackered audience were rebooted for another 3 minutes of dancing and screaming for a vivacious finale to the show. Next time Passion Pit play I’m sure to get tickets, as I couldn’t fault their performance and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Posted: October 15th, 2009 | Author: Liz | Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Filewile, Liz Croly | 2 Comments »
From the strange cover of Filewile’s new album “Bluewkywell” I hadn’t a clue what to expect. Though something bizarre I was sure, and not wrong, from the first track “Sombrero or Die” these haunting vocals accompanied by upbeat instrumentals along with what I can only describe as siren like noises makes for an interesting yet slightly addictive track. The second track “Number One Kid” caught my attention the most, maybe it’s resemblance to any track from the comedy series “Flight of The Concords” or perhaps just because of it’s catchy, electro and ever so slightly dub-step mixture.
Despite the memorable instrumentals not much can be said for the lyrics, although with most producer combinations lyrics do tend to be jumbled, repeated, cut and styled in tracks such as “Kick the Spacedrum” and “Bug” they become increasingly irritating along with the grunts that are added just seem a little confusing. However this grunts and strange noises are successful in the penultimate track “Swahee Swahoo”, which musically shows similar sounds to dub-step phenomenon Flying Lotus however the vocals again become grating half way through. Similarly on the final track “Codeine” although the instrumentals in this also wear after a while.
In no way would I label Filewiles album as unsuccessful perhaps just in need of some fine tuning, I can honestly say that having listened to it over and over I am still unable to identify tracks. This leads me to think that perhaps the “rap” and producing duo should reconsider their grunting efforts and make it easier to differentiate between songs, saying this some songs remain to be what I like to call “growers” – a few listens and you’ll love them, just good luck remembering the names.
