Track of the Week: Kings of Leon - 'Trani'

image: smh.com.au

Set in the time where they were the hill-billy blues rockers with hair longer than mine and beards that would give the new age of male models a run for their money. Kings of Leon are since a band who have transformed into an arena-rock phenomenon, destined for commercial success. This, however, seems pretty hard to believe when you dip into the depths of their bluesy back catalogue.

The Nashville born quartet’s debut, Youth & Young Manhood, has always held a special place in my heart despite the fact that it’s worlds apart from their best known hits like ‘Sex on Fire’ and the more recent ‘Supersoaker’. One track that always stands out for me, however: ‘Trani’. Opening with laid back, lazy guitars, which is typical of their earlier material, and building up into a wondrous mess of brash percussion and jerky riffs, made even better by frontman, Caleb Followill’s deafeningly screechy vocals- ‘Trani’ is, without a doubt, one of many masterpiece’s brought to us by the colossal force that is Kings of Leon, although it is massively overlooked.

It’s highly debateable that the Tennessee based four piece have lost their edge in the past few years, following the release of their critically acclaimed fourth album Only by the Night, but who cares if they have? With tracks like this under their belt and an array of commercial hits that are still remarkable even if they do lack the rowdy, hill-billy blues of their earlier stuff.

Written for PostMusicDepression.

Review: Johnny Lloyd - Pilgrims EP

It’s always terrible news when a band decides to call it a day, unless of course that band were the likes of One Direction, especially a band as precious as Tribes. The Camden four-piece brought us two stellar LPs that helped restore our faith in good old fashioned British guitar music. No gimmicks, no jazzy synths or artificial sounds; everything about Tribes was real. Over 6 months since their antagonising split, the band’s frontman, Johnny Lloyd, has gone solo, releasing a couple of tracks from his upcoming EP, Pilgrims; which, as expected, are pretty fucking excellent.

‘Dead Beat’ dips into stripped-back, restrained territory which serves as a total contrast from Lloyd’s tendency to create epic, crowd-pleasing choruses throughout his work with Tribes (‘Sappho’ and ‘When My Day Comes’ for a minor example). This track is delicate and beholds an intangible sense of fragility as a result of its barely-there, eastern-tinged guitar and Lloyd’s consistently well-crafted lyricism that never fails to get under your skin- “nothing is real, it’s just a catwalk.”

It isn’t until you hear ‘Pilgrims’, the EP’s title track, when you realise that Lloyd is quite clearly venturing into the unknown as a solo artist and leaving his infamous routes behind him. An exotic groove and sporadic use of synth go hand-in-hand to create an absolute masterpiece; not to mention the goose-bump-inducing guitar solo two and a half minutes in which sounds loosely like it could have been the work of Foals. The perfectly controlled track which maintains restraint throughout, has a slight eighties resonance which comes as a refreshingly pleasant surprise as it differs entirely from the anthemic-indie sound brought to us by Tribes.

Aside from the release of his debut solo EP, Johnny Lloyd appears to be holding his cards close to his chest in regards to what’s next for him as a musician. Although the material he has graced us with so far is somewhat ‘worlds apart’ from where he left off with Tribes, it’s obviously this is just the start for the Camden songwriter, and a long way off from the finish. For Tribes fans who are still in mourning, Lloyd’s solo return might just be the perfect counselling session to soften the blow caused by the loss of a truly valued, excellent and hugely underrated band, and who knows- he may gain some new fans along the way.

Written for PostMusicDepression.

Review: Circa Waves - 'Young Chasers'

image: rockerilla.com

If you haven't yet heard about this Liverpudlian four-piece you must be a borderline recluse with no internet access. A massive buzz has surrounded Circa Waves for a good six months now and it's not surprising given their infectious post-punk sound resonant of the early-noughties indie scene (i.e The Strokes and The Libertines).

Their most recent endeavor, 'Young Chasers' sounds much more rough around the edges with scuzzy guitars and an excitable chorus that will assuredly go down well on this years festival circuit seeing as these guys are playing at pretty much every festival imaginable this year.

Review: Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

Right from the release of the album’s title track, it was crystal clear that Brooklyn “slackers”, Parquet Courts, were going to deliver on the follow up to their commendable debut Light up Gold. With chaotic guitars, brash percussion and signature motor-mouthed vocals from frontman, Andy Savage; the album’s first single certainly was not worlds apart from where they left off with that incredible debut. Sunbathing Animal, as a whole, is simply another nod at Parquet Courts’ best attribute; their undeniable grit. Grit that the majority of upcoming bands, like themselves, lack.

Throughout the course of the LP, we are bombarded with repetitive, jerky guitars and droning vocals, telling of impoverishment and the ‘hard knock’ nature of New York City. Although darker subject matter does arise; take “bodies made of slugs ‘n’ guts” as a prime example, or is it “sluts and guts?” It’s hard to tell, but both tell an undeniably dark tale.

Parquet Courts haven’t attempted to do anything fancy or out of their comfort zone on this record which has undoubtedly worked in their favour. However, ‘Instant Disassembly’ does present a more laid-back, semi-anthemic feel to the band’s sound, especially apparent as they repeat, in unison, the words “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, it’s hard to inhale,” until the track fades out after a whopping seven minutes. This track beholds a certain sing-a-long-able charm that will assuredly go down well on this year’s festival circuit.

You could say Parquet Courts’ instrumentally dense sound is an acquired taste, but Sunbathing Animal just goes to show their consistency as songwriters, and for those of you who loved Light up Gold, get ready to love their second LP just as much, if not more.

Written for PostMusicDepression.

Album of the Week: The Horrors - Luminous

image: allmusic.com

The Horror's highly anticipated fourth album has finally landed and it's safe to say the Southend-on-Sea quintet are sounding bigger than ever. With tracks that have dominated airwaves for several weeks such as 'I See You' and 'So Now You Know' to go by, it was pretty obvious that they'd be taking it up a notch with their fourth LP to date; a wondrous concoction of the gothic sensibilities of their debut 'Strange House' and the shoegazing majesty of 'Primary Colours' and 'Skying.'

Stand out tracks would have to be previously mentioned 'So Now You Know' and 'I See You' alongside 'Mine and Yours,'  'In and Out of Sight' and 'Chasing Shadows.'

I wrote a full review of 'Luminous' for Post Music Depression. Read it here.

Track of the Week: The 1975 - 'Robbers'

image: thelineofbestfit.com

The 1975 are like marmite- you either love them or you hate them. Anyone who knows me well enough will be fully aware that the Wilmslow four piece are a band extremely close to my heart, having been a fan since the days of them playing under the pseudonym of Bigsleep, and so I find it ridiculously unimaginable how anyone could dislike their witty yet gritty lyrics and unbelievably catchy hooks.

'Robbers,' which was written way back in 2008, is the most recent release from the band's eponymous debut album and they've only gone and made one of the best videos I've ever seen to accompany the track that has become somewhat a cult 1975 fan favourite over the years.

Anyone who has seen The 1975 live before will be aware that 'Robbers' is a love song, given the fact that frontman Matty almost always introduces it with a clichéd "this next one's a love song" speech. However, upon the release of its brand new video, Matty has revealed that the song in question was "inspired by [his] love of the Quentin Tarantino film 'True Romance.'" This not only made me love the track even more, seeing as True Romance is one of my favourite films of all time, but it also allowed me to gain a whole new understanding of the lyrics, which continue to stick out as one of the bands most appealing attributes.

The video sees a modern take on the classic Tarantino film with scenes outrightly replicating it- take the cinema scene for instance, or even Matty's floral shirt and his partner-in-crime's leopard print get up. Although, the fundamental narrative of the video is essentially an armed heist that inevitably goes wrong, as expressed within the lyrics.

So perhaps the track's title was slightly more literal than we presumed, however, this does not take away from the thoughtful nature of the lyrics and the emotionally rife manner in which Matty sings them. Whether you like The 1975 or not, this track is without a doubt one of their best yet and the video most certainly does it justice.

Watch the video for 'Robbers' below.

Review: Damon Albarn - Everyday Robots

Undoubtedly, Damon Albarn is one of the most influential figures in modern music. A Britpop pioneer; who paved the way for a list of bands as long as my arm, a musical innovator and collaborator; as proved by his work with Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad and The Queen, and now a solo artist whose song writing capabilities, much like a fine cheese or a leather jacket, have seemingly got better with age.

Lyrically, the entire LP centres on a sort of autobiographical reflection of Albarn’s 46 years. Whether it’s his childhood spent in Leytonstone, the heat wave of 1976, ‘Hollow Ponds’, or his encounters with baby elephants in Tanzania, ‘Mr Tembo’), almost every aspect receives an in-depth analysis on the album in question.

The album’s title track introduces another recurring theme throughout Everyday Robots; the idea that technology is swiftly taking over our lives. Maybe Albarn is simply showing his age, but with lyrics evoking ideas of our obligation to document even the most trivial aspects of our daily lives on social networking sites, we can only be left to cerebrate “he’s got a point”. ‘Hostiles’ reiterates this idea of technological oppression with imagery of the hostility, surprisingly, and passive aggressive nature of video gaming; whereas ‘Lonely Press Play’ explores similar issues concerning our reliance on virtual symbols in our everyday lives, as expressed in the title.

The overall sound we’re presented with on Everyday Robots remains minimal and understated throughout the entire album. However, spells of excitement do occur from time to time. Take the unusual ongoing violin riff of the title track for example, or the atypical introductory guitar and sombre vocals of ‘The History of a Cheating Heart’. The album’s lack of melody is made up for on ‘Heavy Seas of Love’ which takes a more anthemic turn from previous tracks on the record as a result of its uplifting piano and climactic choric vocals.

So from the Britpop days of Blur to a long-awaited solo album, Damon Albarn has assuredly proved to be a jack-of-all-trades. It’s safe to say that back when Blur burst out of London in 1991, nobody would have expected an output quite like this, but then again it’s certainly not the first time he’s gone out of his way to prove that he is a master of the unexpected.

Written for PostMusicDepression.