Review: Royal Blood - Royal Blood

image: gigwise.com

I'm sure it would come as a surprise to anyone, listening to their debut effort, that Royal Blood are a mere two piece consisting of a bass guitar and a drum kit. With some of the most hard-hitting riffs of the year and a shit load of infectious choruses which work wonders alongside their dirty, rough-cut blues-rock sound; Royal Blood have quite possibly conjured up one of the most credible albums of 2014 in my humble opinion.
 

'Out of the Black' instantly show cases the instrumental intensity Royal Blood are capable of, despite their lack of rhythmic guitars. Not only this but Mike Kerr's vocals on the explosive chorus go down just as hard as those of a frontman who'd been at it for years. 'Come on Over' and 'Figure it Out' build on the densely packed instrumentals but in a much more energetic, metal-inspired way with relentless baselines oscillating between brash stints of percussion. 'You Can Be So Cruel' and 'Blood Hands,' however, build on the bluesier elements of the band's repertoire.
 

Royal Blood's earliest 2014 release, 'Little Monster,' proves to be one of the most commendable moments on the LP; with choric lyrics that prove impossible not to sing a long to and a face-melting riff running right through the bridge. It certainly went down a treat when played to hundreds of revellers packed into the NME tent at this years Leeds Festival.
 

'Loose Change' presents a different side to the band with a slightly hip-hop resonant drumbeat and  quite a clear White Stripes influence overall, especially whilst Kerr screeches "I wanna double my money, so don't act like there's nobody home," channeling Jack White from the outset.
 

Royal Blood have certainly proved themselves on their debut album. From being 'the band t-shirt Matt Helders was wearing for the Arctic Monkeys's 2013 Glastonbury performance' to producing an LP in which every track soars in its own right; the two-piece prove the fact that less is most definitely more.

Royal Blood's debut album is out now. Buy it here.

Review: Alt-J - 'Every Other Freckle'

image: all-noise.co.uk

Out of all the new musical offerings Alt-J have presented to us as a newly established three piece, 'Every Other Freckle' is by far the most in keeping with where they left off with An Awesome Wave. With that typical slow tempo industrial synth running right through the entire track, at points it feels like you're listening to 'Fitzpleasure' or 'Bloodflood.'
 

Dissimilar to the very commercial sounding 'Left Hand Free,' which was released by the band last month, this track is oddly assembled, combining folk and electronic elements to conjure up one of their most experimental tracks to date. Although I was really enjoying the new direction Alt-J seemed to be taking on 'Hunger of the Pine' and previously mentioned 'Left Hand Free,' I feel that Alt-J are at their best when they're being a bit weird and spontaneous and 'Every Other Freckle' is exactly that.

Review: The Clays - The High Fidelity EP

image: theclays.bandcamp.com

Unsigned band, The Clays, boast a smooth psychedelic sound with a rough-cut riff heavy spin, which isn’t necessarily a rarity in the alternative music scene’s current state of affairs. After hearing the first minute or so of ‘Slip and Slide’, you’re immediately led to make that Tame Impala/The Beatles circa 1967 comparison. Having said that, it doesn’t sound like a total rip off, more like a product of inspiration. Some aspects are borrowed; take the scuzzy Tame-esque guitars that seem to go off on a tangent. However, certain moments on the EP sound like an entirely different kettle of fish; 'Ricochet' being a prime example. With a vocal style claiming resonance from early noughties’ Doherty and a much more plain and simple rock ‘n’ roll vibe overall; The Clays have certainly succeeded in showing off their versatility in a mere four track EP. 

Fans of Pond, Temples and Toy should definitely give The Clays a chance.

Download The High Fidelity EP, for free, here.

Written for PostMusicDepression.

Review: Jamie T - 'Zombie'

image: flickr.com

It feels like a lifetime since Wimbledon's resident slacker, Jamie T, released his remarkable sophomore album, Kings and Queens. Since then, after a drawn out dry patch, Jamie Treays released 'Don't You Find,' earlier this year, which left fans and critics alike stumped. The great thing about Jamie's pre-2014 music was that whoever you were and wherever you came from, you could undoubtedly find solace in the viciously spat lyrics of hardship and grief that seeped through every track on his first two LP's. 'Don't You Find,' however, seemed to lack this frolicking charm yet it was still outstanding in a number of different ways.
 

'Zombie' meanders between the two with a slightly more sophisticated and mature spin on the brash, outspoken tales of yesteryear. 'Zombie' is about as close to the comfort blanket that is Panic Prevention as we'll ever get but in all fairness, we'd be daft to think that that flame could ever be rekindled again. We'd be daft to think that the emotionally charged angst-ridden stories told seven whole years ago could ever be regurgitated in 2014. Jamie T is probably making the most refreshing and exciting musical comeback for a long time and 'Zombie' is simply another piece of evidence to support that.

Review: Peace - 'Lost On Me'

image: pigeonsandplanes.com

Judging by the video for the Birmingham quartet's most recent release, Peace are a band who aren't taking their reputation as B-town's most thoroughbred too seriously. Out of all the post-'In Love' releases Peace have graced us with so far, this is by far the most eighties-resonant with an undeniable Adam and the Ants inspired intro and plenty of "ahh-ahh's." However, this track also seems to be the most commercialized of the three. Although the video seems to ironically poke fun at manufactured major label artists, 'Lost on Me' sounds as if its sole purpose is to appeal to the masses, differing significantly from the brashness of 'Follow Baby' and the groovy hooks of 'Wraith' and 'Bloodshake' back in the day.

 

Don't get me wrong, 'Lost on Me' isn't a particularly bad effort. Peace are still as sassy as ever and the high pitched falsetto section in the hook is ridiculously infectious. Who knows how Peace's sophomore effort will end up?

Review: Childhood - Lacuna

image: hasitleaked.com

Nottingham quartet, Childhood's, debut album has been a long time coming but after hearing the finished product in all its eleven track glory; it was definitely well worth the wait.

 

Lacuna kicks off with 'Blue Velvet,' a track we were introduced to almost two years ago. It's hazy guitars and tinny percussion giving it a sort of child-like charm; summer dripping from every chord. Tracks like 'Falls Away,' however, introduce a much more sophisticated and sharp side to the band with Ben Romans-Hopcraft's demure, whispered vocals and break-beat drums amidst restrained, oscillating guitars. This seems to be the framework for the entire album; certain tracks are sun-drenched and laid-back ('You Could Be Different,' 'As I Am,' and 'Pay For Cool') whereas others come from somewhere much more mature ('Right Beneath Me,' and 'When You Rise').

 

The band's second single 'Solemn Skies' is an obvious highlight with its kaleidoscopic guitars and anthemic chorus reminding us of exactly why we fell in love with this band in the first place. However, when surrounded by ten other top-shelf tracks, it's hard to place this one on a pedestal.

Childhood are living proof that taking time to perfect a debut, rather than bashing out a hype album on a major label, provides the best results. Lacuna is free of filler tracks which is very refreshing given the amount of bands dabbling in similar genres and producing nothing particularly commendable.

Monthly Round Up

This post is a bit of an anomaly for me. For those of you who were unsure, my absence from blogging during the previous month came as a result of a trip I had to take to visit family in Greece. Inconveniently, it seemed as if every band I follow was releasing new material whilst I was 2000 miles away from home with temperamental internet access and a broken iPhone. As I'm usually quite O.C.D about the structure of my blog and the posts I publish, I was really unsure of how to ease myself back into blogging but I thought seeing as July has graced us with so many brand new releases, what better way to get back into the swing of things with a round up of the releases worth listening to?

Click the song titles to listen to each track.

Jamie T - Don't You Find

The Drums - Magic Mountain

Johnny Lloyd - Happy Humans

SBTRKT - New Dorp, New York

Royal Blood - Figure it Out

Alt-J - Left Hand Free

Catfish & The Bottlemen - Cocoon

The Courteeners - How Good It Was

Public Access T.V. - Rebounder EP

The Family Rain - Hunger Sauce EP

ALL IMAGES BELONG TO THEIR ORIGINAL SOURCES