nice guys finish last

music >> album review >> singing adams >> everybody friends now

when critically acclaimed the broken family band split, the obvious progression was for head honcho and talented songwriter steven adams to fill our ears at some point in the future. 'everybody freinds now' marks adams' return to said ear filling with the debut album from his new band singing adams (not to be confused with steven's first post-tbfb project the singing adams). this first unveiling hints at the acclaim adams had previously found while at the same time illustrating the limitations a new band treading water for the first time, might face.

the album opens with 'move on', a belle & sebastian-esque number that plods along at a pleasant pace but doesn't offer much to seize the listener, neither inspiring nor offending. come the second track and debut single 'i need your mind', the introductory drums and guitar hint at a darker, moodier and more memorable side to singing adams' sound, but such shady echoes are quickly contradicted with the addition of adam's clean-as-a-whistle vocal delivery. 'bird on a wing' is the band's latest single but again it flirts with being too 'nice', the dreamy lyrics only boosted by some plucky lead guitar.

some of the standout moments from the album are when their shadowy side is explored; songs filled with cruel, witty and bitter lyrics while often propelled by an injection of pacey guitars bring this album to life. songs such as 'spit at the sea' and 'injured party' stand out from the crowd by simply having bit of a kick to them, while 'red carpet', a sour message of 'pissing life away' is one of the best songs on the album but is crying out for adams to add the roar the lyrics deserve.

singing adams obviously have the talent and song writing expertise evidenced by the members who have previously represented the broken family band and wet paint, but this album seems a little plain in places when it should be making a bigger impression. lyrics often seem lost, songs seem to long and there is not enough variation. what singing adams do have in their favour though is musical pasts and the few songs that hint at a chart friendly indie sound that could see them find their place and their sound, which will undoubtedly make everyone want to be their friends.

6/10

different gear, stalled

music >> album review >> beady eye >> different gear, still speeding

oasis soundtracked my youth. strutting to liam’s snarl while bobbing to the strums of noel's g chord i loved these mancunian menaces. up until their split i’d back them despite being well aware of their obvious flaws, feeling a loyalty to them like a struggling football team. that said, post-split, like most i felt it was time to put down the guitars and the tambourine and leave it to the new conveyer-belt of indie smarters to formulate an educated and creative disco filling guitar sound that is modern, upbeat and doesn't repeatedly hail to the "sunshiiiiine".

but… liam's new band beady eye are about to release their debut album 'different gear, still speeding', a little ironic seeing as liam can't actually drive. on listening to dgss perhaps that is what he should have done with his time since the oasis break-up. either that or design more clothes, even swing on an old tyre - anything but involve himself with song writing.

dgss reminds me of late oasis b-sides written by liam or the other oasis members no one cared for and that chief noel declared not album worthy. while noel bossed oasis, liam clearly leads beady eye with his band mates seemingly too scared or too in awe to notify him of a shit song, and my god there’s loads! apart from opener 'four letter word', and the catchy piano lead 'bring the light' there is nothing here to suggest that beady eye are anything more than a passing fancy while we wait for the inevitable oasis reunion tour in ten years time. the album quickly declines with second song ‘millionaire’ containing lyrics sounding like something scribbled after a shower sing-song. some kind of bet gone horribly wrong is evidenced with the inclusion of 'for anyone', so appalling it pushes ‘little james’ close for liam’s worst creation. 'kill for a dream' and 'the beat goes on' are now prescribed on the nhs as an alternative to sleeping pills, and i gave up listening to the last song ‘the morning son’ for fear i’d actually die of boredom. the only bit i found interesting on this album were the drums half way through ‘wigwam’ purely because they sound like the opening title sequence to baywatch – if you can be bothered to listen to this album you’ll hear what i mean.

i didn’t expect much from beady eye, liam still thinks he’s john lennon’s left testicle while gem and andy remain too hidden behind liam’s cherry tinted glasses to even notice any failings, but this record after the (ever so slight) early promise from the free downloads is more than disappointing. liam in his usual blinkered and boastful way announced dgss to be as good as oasis’ debut ‘definitely maybe’. there’s no maybe about this album, it’s definitely shit.

2/10 (and that’s only because it’s friday and i’m in a good mood)

the first rule of chapel club...there are no fucking rules

music >> album review >> chapel club >> palace

having listened to ‘palace’ by the much hyped chapel club i can’t help but think that these obviously skilled songwriters have missed a trick with their first release. a debut album from any band is often a jumble of structures, lyrics, themes and tempos as the hurried collection is formed from the most prominent ten or so songs gigged over the years as a band finds their place, mood and sound. ‘palace’ doesn’t suffer such inconsistencies, as fresh sounding tracks compliment one another, flowing comfortably while showing enormous potential and offering an accomplished and competent sound. however, despite the immediate compelling promise i am left wondering if it could have been so much better.

wearing your heart on your sleeve and being forthcoming with your influences will get you by, but originality is what can set you apart. throughout the album i was waiting for something novel, though incessantly my thoughts regressed to a sound reminiscent of obvious influences like echo & the bunnymen, joy division, the smiths, and more modern darlings such as editors, the strokes and white lies.

the delivery and lyrics from lewis bowman often sounds like a flirty yet moody poetic duet between ian mcculloch and morrissey. if this apparent intellect is a clever as he thinks, a slight tweak to the over wordy lyrics could have seen this album reach the loftiness the hype evoked. songs such as ‘surfacing’, ‘five trees’ and ‘the shore’ display intelligence and thought, while ‘blind’, ‘fine light’ and ‘o maybe i’ further evidence this is a band with obvious depth and song writing aptitude.

chapel club tick the right boxes for a modern british band – gloomy bleak vocal delivery, creative guitars plus they look the part and they can fill an indie disco, and that (not poetry corner) is where their focus should remain. if they can do this while exploring their own obvious musical psyche, they’ll quickly find that their sound becomes the one to influence so many others.

7/10

happy xmas mum, have a cd/coaster

music >> album review >> kings of leon >> come around sundown

to establish an unbiased view of kings of leon's new album 'come around sundown’ an open mind, ignoring the tiresome 'old kol / new kol' debate was required. 'only by the night', their fourth album brought a fresh wave of fans completely unaware of these tennessee boys before 'sex on fire', westlife cover 'use somebody' and sexy videos more akin to something beyonce would do. kol lost as many fans as they gained with their last album, but having reminded myself of their brilliance on their third record 'because of the times', i was hoping for great things from 'come around sundown'; either a return to their messy, frenzied bluesy rock, or a completely new direction - with whispers of a 'beachy' sounding album, i had high hopes that the polished stadium rock sound they'd uncomfortably slipped into was a one album blip.

sadly the divide between old and new kol remains, i can confirm they're still playing it safe and keeping their new fans (those playing 'sex on fire' off their phones and our take that-loving older sisters) happy with this over produced, stuck in second gear, middle of the road tosh that neither enlightens nor offends. even after three or four listens i couldn't help thinking the cd would make a nice christmas present for my mum, more suitable for afternoon coffee than brixton academy mosh pits. kol now have a signature commercial sound that is instantly recognisable, yet instantly forgettable. longing for the good times of 'spiral staircase' and 'california waiting' these new songs make clear those days are well and truly behind us.

it's not all bad, there are a couple of okay songs, 'no money' hints at their pre-2007 excellence with some choppy guitars and fuzzy production -(at last, i thought) but sadly the next song "pony up" immediately reminded me of the steering wheel-tapping beats they now embrace. 'beach side' has an interesting intro and bouncy bass, a song that flirts with a new direction, but just as my ears were readying themselves for the song to launch the new 2010 kol sound, it ends abruptly as if for fear of offending their new fans. 'pyro' and 'mary' are other songs that slightly stood out but still sat on the fence, not daring enough to tip toe next door where all the naughty, fun stuff is…

this album was kol's chance to slow the monster they've become but instead they've released a 'the only way is essex' friendly album that just doesn't do anything. the commercial road which they've taken is a very different road to the one we thought we were heading down when we jumped onboard during the blurry moustache and flared denim 'youth and young manhood' beginnings. those happy days are assigned to history, i miss them a lot but it seems kol don't, if they did we wouldn't be subjected to yet another soundtrack to bono's wet dreams.

4/10

hello, this is bombay bicycle club, may i take your orderings please? folk, yes we do folk. would you like pilau rice with that?

album review >> bombay bicycle club >> flaws

if you're going to listen to an acoustic album, you need to be in exactly the right mood. my mood today is sleepy, hungover, and ridiculously hot. bombay bicycle club are about to release 'flaws' (out on monday 12th july), possibly the perfect album for my current state of mind.

this is a massive (presumably temporary) step away from the sound of bbc's first album 'i had the blues but i shook them loose', and there's not much on 'flaws' that will get your heart racing or your arms aloft as their first album did with such indie hits as 'evening/morning', but that's obviously not the angle of this record. what the new songs lack in effects and electronic zest, they make up for in haunted acoustic folk, heavily doused in nick drake and neil young. also on show is a maturing voice delivering more endearing lyrics; lead man jack steadman's vocals sound particularly impressive fronting this new found folk sound. highlights include the cover of john martyn's 'fairytale lullaby', the song from which the album takes its name 'flaws' and the stripped back version of 'dust on the ground', which is possibly better than the version found on their debut album. unfortunately i found some songs to be a little repetitive and forgettable as is regularly the issue with an acoustic album, but that's not to say i didn't appreciate the crouch end boys new sound, indeed praise is due for displaying such a brave and creative alter-ego. the band now embark on a nationwide church and chapel tour, but have promised to revisit their more varied classical indie sounds for their festival dates.

as my saturday night draws closer, i realise this isn't going to be the soundtrack to get spruced and bruced to, but for now, as i sit resembling a lobster, struggling in the hot english sunshine, it's perfect.

7

sarah told him to listen to the mystery jets...

album review >> the mystery jets >> serotonin

riding my bike through london in a mad dash to work, slowed by summer’s whirling winds, the light spitting rain and HGVs is a tough and dangerous task at the best of times. add to that my ipod beating my ear drums with the latest mystery jets album 'serotonin' and the dangers suddenly reach new levels. a lack of attention towards the heaving traffic is the obvious risk but the other problem with hearing a new album in such congested conditions is the threat of missing the best parts. turns out though, after one albeit rushed and background noise-filled listen, i've heard enough to want to race home and give it the time it deserves (minus the hazards of london roads).

'serotonin' is a good album. not great as some are suggesting but a good, upbeat, indie pop album. these chaps are obviously very comfortable with the music they're making right now and so they should be. heavily relying on the '80s for the basics of their sound, nearly every song takes interesting and unexpected twists and is backed with beach boys-inspired '60s harmonies. with my hands gripping my handle bars, i had no digital display to check the track names, so simply had to remember the basics and the things that struck me straight away: track one is a good intro to the album, track four is catchy, track seven is the stand out and it seems, most of the songs are about the loss of a girl or dizziness of drugs. off my bike and settled at my desk with said digital display in front of me (my ipod of course) i made some brief notes of the songs that really stood out, here’s what i discovered...

the first track 'alice springs' is a favourite, but also 'flash a hungry smile', 'show me the light' and the obvious yet excellent (and substance inspired) 'dreaming of another world'. title track 'serotonin' is another i could clearly recall (i initially put this down to the repeated cries of "sarah told him" - sarah told him what lads? get to the point - but it soon became clear they were indeed singing "serotonin"), but it's simply because it's a good electronically led song.

various influences include aforementioned synth based '80s pop, but also indie oldies the super furry animals and even a slight touch of more recent chord progression-based top 40 friendly acts. some lyrics are a little immature and obvious, especially in 'it's too late to talk' and 'the girl is gone', but perhaps this is the charm of this album. they're not trying to do a radiohead or take a new direction - this is pop, it's simple, it's memorable and it's an easy listen. the fact that there’s nothing too inventive or explorative here is something to appreciate at a time when so many bands panic in an attempt to challenge their fans two or three albums in. i'm hoping the simple and ear-pleasing basics of 'serotonin' keep me alert enough on my bike tonight so i can appreciate this masterful pop perfection in the comfort of my own home... go take a listen, but not on a bike.

8

better late than never, total life forever

album review >> foals >> total life forever

every year there are one or two albums that completely blow me away. the kind of album that if i was listening to it on a cassette during my pubescent days, would have died in a pile of thin black tape after only a few listens. last year it was the brilliant 'primary colours' by the horrors, played to a point where i knew the songs so well, i felt like i wrote them.

this year it has to be 'total life forever' the second album from foals. every song is just the right length, even 'spanish sahara' at almost seven minutes leaves the listener begging for more. it's quiet and timid to begin with but then brilliantly, leaves you just when it finally arrives. after the first listen 'after glow' was the one track i struggled with out of all of the oxford lads' offerings, but on reflection and after countless plays it's now up there, knocking about with my other favourites on the 2010 musical pedestal (alongside previously mentioned 'spanish sahara', 'this orient', 'total life forever' and 'black gold'). best part of the track? skip to roughly three minutes in and it transforms from a melancholic growl into an explosion of funky beats that get my head a-nodding and feet a-tap tap tapping.

the vocals on this album push yannis to a level he didn't even attempt on 'antidotes' and the lyrics seem personal. the music is catchier than ever and the songs have that "i need to see these live" effect (foolishly i turned down the chance to see them in camden a few weeks ago, what a twat i am).

i should have reviewed 'total life forever' when it leaked in the weeks leading up to it's official release, but sometimes it's best not to rush an opinion. i'm now convinced it belongs in the list of the elite albums i've heard in recent years. i don't declare to know everything about music and i'm not hip enough to know every trendy band that's filling the shoreditch gutters, but i do know that this is an album that will last. well, at least until next year...

9