Snow Patrol - Wildness

"Wildness" is the 7th album by Irish indie outfit Snow Patrol. I first got into Snow Patrol after hearing "Spitting games" on MTV2 in the days when MTV actually played music videos. I thought the 3rd album "Final Straw" where the song came from was excellent. They went on to release "Eyes open" and that was really the album which made them, it was superb. Although "Chasing cars" isn't my personal favourite off that album; It is the song which they are probably most known for now. Then came along "Hundred million suns" which was good in places but not as good as their previous 2 albums. Then to be honest I didn't pay much attention to "Fallen Empires" at all which came out in 2010.

And that was their last full length album with just a greatist hits album inbetween.  8 years is a longtime in the music world so I was pleased they were getting back on the musical map when "Wildness" was announced earlier this year.  But then they started releasing the singles in the build up to the album. "Don't give in" was first. My first thoughts were this is boring and Gary Lightbody's vocals seem so emotionally over the top. Then came along second single "Life on earth". Another very boring song.  I did read that one of the reasons it took this album so long to come out is because Lightbody was having writer's block and had scrapped an album's worth of songs. And then he started writing this.

Anyway next song came out "What if this is all the love you'll ever get?" A totally stripped down song with just Gary playing the piano. This was not only the worst song I have heard by them yet. It's one of the worst songs I have heard this year. Again it feels like Lightbody is just so over the top in his vocal delivery. And to go with that the piano playing just feels so simple. It's as if he has only just started learning to play. Now I do respect people who learn new instruments coming from someone who is not very musically talented. But to put this on an album and expect people to pay for it is ridiculous.

This didn't really bode well for me when I was going to hear the album given the band had picked these songs first to make people buy the album. And now having listened to the album a few times I can't say I really like any of the songs.

Overall this is a very disappointing album and I would be shocked once they finished touring this album if any of the songs stay in their set list on future tours. I hope that this is just a blip and they find their form again as I know how good a band they can be having seen them live three times and having spent many hours listening to some of their other albums.

Chvrches - Love is Dead

"Love is Dead" is the third album by Glasgow synth pop group Chvrches. I have liked Chvrches right from the offset when their debut came out "The Bones of what you believe". Although that had some absolutely monster singles. I didn't find myself going back to that album that often. But when 2nd album "Every open eye" came out that had the singles and the album tracks to back them up. This was an album I went to a fair bit and I saw them tour this album and thought they were an excellent live act.

So how does "Love is dead" compare? Well I think they have grown, matured and have made a better group of songs than ever before. It's very much more of the same. And to be honest when some bands get to their 3rd album and are doing the same thing. I often think to myself that they should be trying new sounds and moving into new territories. But with Chvrches I find myself wanting to hear more of the same.  The reason for this is because as far as I'm aware their is not too many bands as big as Chvrches doing what they are doing. And from what I can see the reason for this is because no one is currently doing synth pop better than Chvrches. 

This album does feel like an album full of upbeat, dancy singles. Even when some have slow build ups they turn into mega tunes by the end of the songs.  My particular highlights of the album are "Heaven/Hell", "Forever" and "Deliverence".  But this album is just littered with great tracks and for me there are no bad tracks on the album.

Overall this is a fantastic album and I feel that Chvrches have really outdone themselves with this record. They have got the synth pop market cornered and it doesn't look like they will be getting budged from it anytime soon.

Against The Current - In Our Bones

"In Our Bones" is the debut album by American punk rocker's Against The Current. This album was released in 2016 after a string of EPs where they honed in their sound.  But after really looking into this album it turns out they really have gone all out to deliver a whole spectrum of sounds.

The album kicks off with a stormer. Namely "Running things gone wild". It's pop punk goodness with a healthily slice of electronic keyboard thrown into the mix.  The first band that springs to mind when listening to these guys is definitely Paramore. And they don't hide the fact that these guys do influence their music having done covers by them. Having a charismatic female singer in the shape of Chrissy Constanza also makes the comparisons easy.   "Young and Relentless" also shows of their pop punk sound very well and is a very catchy song.

But delving into this album further it is clear that Against the Current are not here to copy other bands but define their own path and go in different directions. Second track "Forget me now" drops the punk label and places firmly in the pop category. This is the kind of track where usually you would get a female singer singing it as a solo artist with a backing band. Not this singer as she is well and truly part of the band.  "One More weekend" is another uplifting pop anthem which is really catchy.

Another change of sound in the album can be found in the form of "Chasing Ghosts", also similar sounding "Wasteland" and "Blood like gasoline" which appear later in the album. The sound of Constanza's vocals are a lot more haunting in these tracks which is quite apt really considering the names of the tracks. The band which comes into my head here are Pvris.  The vocals especially are very similar to Lynn Gunn. Pvris were a band who started their journey at a similar time to ATC around 2011/2012. But while ATC went down the EP route then released this in 2016. PVRIS first full length came out in 2014 and their second album came out 2017.  So it looks like they really are part of the same scene.  While some of their music is similar, you can definitely differentiate between the two.

Title track "In our bones" goes in yet again in another direction as it is a nice stripped down acoustic song which really does show off Constanza's incredible vocals and probably her best vocal performance on the album.  "Brighter" is a softer song and a ballady type song focusing more on the keyboards. I love how it gently builds throughout the song and for me personally it is one of my favourites off the album.

Overall this is a really, really good album. I just love the diversity of the songs and you really don't know which direction they are going to take next.  They have their influences, they do sound like other bands in places, but in general who doesn't?  But in some way they have weaved out into the open to channel these influences into their own sound and produced an album which is well worth listening to.

Gazpacho - Soyuz

"Soyuz" is Norweigian progers Gazpacho's 10th studio album. I have seen quite a lot of different opinions trying explain what their music is like. And I will try to do it here but it is difficult. But what I can say is that it is prog, they are different from the norm and they like to really challenge the listener whose prepared to spend time trying to really unlock their music but at the same time people who don't have the time to get into their stuff can still be rewarded. What I'm saying is their music works on 2 levels and that is one of the things that make this band so special.

The album has a nice opening with "Soyuz one". I love the build up on this track as it begins another facinating Gazpacho journey weaving gently into the album. Then the track has these wonderful heavy then soft moments reminesant of "Even Less" by Porcupine tree but done with the Gazpacho stamp.  The second track "Hypomaina" also has a gentle introduction but after that the band throw a bit of a curve ball and go into a terrority I have never really heard Gazpacho go in before. It actually sounds like Radiohead's "The Bends" era. And with "The Bends" being my favourite Radiohead album, this is no bad thing for me at all. This is an excellent track and nice to see a band who after 10 albums are still mixing things up a bit.

The thrid track "Exit suite" acts as a nice break after the heavier "Hypomania". What I like about Gazpacho is really they have 3 musical weapons. The guitar, the keyboard and the violin. Instead of creating say a guitar driven track or a keyboard driven track. They often give each instrument the limelight within each song. For example in "Soyuz one", there is a violin solo outro to the track which is just amazing and something which seems quite rare on a prog record. But again this is just another thing which makes Gazpacho stand out and keeps them interesting.  The 4th track "Emperor Bespoke" is a great example of this with some bits focusing on the keyboards, some the guitar then some bits are a mix of both.  This is an 8 minute track and is one of my favourites off the album.  The soaring vocals on this track just top it off for me.

Then the album takes a bit of a down turn for me with in my opinion the 2 weakest tracks off the album being "Sky burial" and "Fleeting thoughts".  The thing I don't like about "Sky burial" in particular is the 2 notes being played on the keyboard over and over again throughout the track.  While with "Fleeting thoughts" there is just not enough happening for me in this track. But it was almost like these are the 2 calm tracks before the epic 13 minute centrepiece which is "Soyuz out".  This track really just takes my breath away and just shows how good Gazpacho are at constructing long songs while keeping them interesting. The album finishes with "Rappaccini" which is a nice wind down track and a good way of finishing the album.

Overall this is a good album with many magical moments.  There are a couple of bits which for me weren't as good but somehow they are positioned into the album in a way that they kind of made the best with what they had.  I have heard quite a bit of Gazpacho's back catalogue this year and this one certainly fits into it very well. On the whole it is an album I would go back to try unlock more of the hidden secrets that lay within. And you never know hopefully those thoughts I had about those 2 tracks will just have been fleeting thoughts...

John Frusciante - Foregrow

John released the Foregrow EP back in 2016 for record store day.  This is a 4 track EP which sees John experiement further with electronica style music. Although more famed for his guitar work with the chilis and even his earlier solo work. John has moved more and more into this style of music in recent years.  Although his interest in electronica music stems right back to 2004 when him and Josh Klinghoffer released the excellent "Sphere in the heart of silence" record.

I have heard most of John's work and often if can be quite hit or miss, sometimes to both extremes. But I would say overall I like his work a lot more often than I don't. While I don't think "Foregrow" is his best work, it is still a very listenable EP and a good effort. This record sees John experiment more with different sounds and it does not sound anything like what he has done before. Although it may sound Trickfinger which is his alias he has recorded a few EPs under, I just haven't heard those records yet.

On average the tracks are just over 5 minutes long each with the title track being slightly longer sitting just over six minutes.  The title track is also the only track on the EP where John sings on it. The rest are instrumentals. While I do like John's voice, I think this type of music works better without vocals.  So I feel it slightly weakens this track despite the actual effects and beats used being good.  The second track Expre'act is not as good as the title track, it's more laboured and doesn't really get going. But third track "Lowth Forgue" things pick up again. It has a great beat, some great effects and overall just a really well put together track.  The EP finishes with "unf" which is a great way to end the record. It has a nice flow to it and actually feels like quite a happy track.

One of the pitfulls I often find when I listen to electronic music is often it can get repetitve. But that is not the case at all with this EP.  I wouldn't know most of the time how each sound is created but he manages to keep it fresh and interesting barring "Expre'act". I think if the EP was any longer I would have struggled a bit to keep my attention so I think he did the right thing restricting it to 4 tracks.  I have looked it up and he used various synthisizers and a monomachine to make this record.

Overall 3 out of 4 songs being good on a record is a pretty good return and even the weaker song isn't too bad. Especially when you compare it to some of his other records. But overall this venture was worth while and I'm glad to see someone who has mastered one craft, in the guitar. And moving further into this world of electronica and actually producing some great music. Major kudos to Frusciante on this one from me.

Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino is the 6th album by Sheffield rockers, Arctic Monkeys. I say rockers, but after listening to this album, you may change your opinion!  The band chose a different stragegy in terms of marketing on the lead up to releasing this album. In that they released no singles and I do not know if they plan to. Before this came out I was questioning this strategy as to whether its a good thing or a bad thing. Are they just wanting people to listen to the album as a whole and everything is fresh on first listen?  Or was their no real stand out singles to release. Well it was the second option but a whole lot more.....

When they annonced the name of the album, I really did think "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino was a terrible name for an album. But as soon as I listened to the first few songs on the album, I got it. It is the perfect name for this album.  Now was this a good thing? Well for my liking no. This album is a complete change in direction for the Arctic Monkeys and they have taken a big risk. I have to admit whether I love or hate the direction bands go with their music. I always commend bands who take risks and push their own boundaries and go outwith their comfort zone.

This is the type of music you would hear sitting in a fancy restaurant on a romantic date and they have a smooth jazz band or a guy playing a piano in the corner.   In that situation I would probably saying things to my date like "How good is this band?!" or "This band is on fire!"  Its good music for that situation. Maybe the type of bands that are likely to play these restuarants won't have songs called "The worlds first monster truck front flip". But it is good background music for that setting. But the thing is I don't live like that and I can't imagine I ever will. I can't imagine listening to this music anywhere else apart from if I was in that situation. It's just not my cup of tea at all.

I am interested to see what will happen to their fan base as this is a complete game changer going into new territories. You will get some people who are into both jazzy type music like on this album and their older, rockier stuff. But generally I find that the two are so far apart musically you don’t normally get too people who are into both. Will they lose fans. Will they gain new fans? Another way current monkeys fans would be into this is the lyrics. I haven’t looked too far into them but I do think if you are solely into the Arctic monkeys for their lyrics which some people might be. You might just like this if that is your focus.

Their live shows may even be impacted due to the sheer shift in direction. I was quite up for seeing them but now I wouldn’t go near a gig. I could see longtime fans even booing their new stuff and shouting for them to play their own stuff. It will also be interesting to see if jazz fans like this album and are drawn to the gigs. I know they’ll be playing songs off this album on their next tour but you do wonder how many songs will stay in the set when and if they make future albums. And I would also ask the question if they are going to go back to rock or keep going in this direction. I will be paying attention either way but if their going down the jazzy route again I don’t think it will hold my attention for that long.

I think the main problem I have with this album is I just don’t like that sort of music. I did buy this album having not read any reviews or hearing anything prior. This has made me think again before buying albums based on a band’s previous albums especially if they haven't dropped any singles before the album comes out.

Beck - Colors

Colors is the 13th studio album by American artist Beck. If there is one thing that is certain about how this record would sound, it's that on the whole it would be nothing like his previous record. Such is the diversity of Beck's music. I have been into Beck for many, many years. In fact it was when I picked up an indie compilation called "Shine 9" and "Where it's at" was on it. I then picked up Odelay and been following him ever since. Although I really liked the likes of "Odelay", "Mutations", "Midnite Vultures" and "Golden Age"; The more recent stuff such as "Guerro" (which I realise is quite old now!), "Modern Guilt", "Information" and "Morning Phase",  I did buy them, but I only reallly listened to those albums once or twice. Maybe because I was listening to a lot of other stuff at the time and never really gave these albums much of a chance.

This album came to fruition in a different sort of way to usual. Although the album was just released last year in October 2017.  The first single, "Dreams" came out in June 2015.  I thought and still think now that this is a great, funky and upbeat track. I was excited for an album coming out because of the quality of this track but of course I would have to wait 2 years for the album to come out. In a way it was quite a clever idea to gauge reaction and to see if that was the direction he wanted to go down, by releasing "Dreams" while still working on the rest of the album.  Having not really listened to recent albums its hard for me to say that this is completely different to those albums. However it I do know it is very different to the softer and deeper "Morning Phase". From what I have heard of those albums though it might even be the funkiest albums he has produced since "Midnite Vultures".

"Colors" is a very fun album with lots of really upbeat, dancy songs that will put you in a good mood.  The likes of "No Distraction", "Seventh Heaven", "Colors" and "Up all night" particularly echo this sentiment. But there are a few curveballs in here which bounce back to previous Beck eras. The likes of "Wow" sees Beck doing his simple rapping which was seen in the likes of albums such as "Odelay". While the tender and excellent "Fix me", almost nicely finishes the album (depending what version of the album you have).  This track would fit perfectly on to "Morning Phase" but at the same time these tracks do give balance to this album and still fit in.  The bonus track is remix of "Dreams" which I find slightly annoying, because as much as I like the track, having it come on twice regardless of version does ruin it a wee bit.

But on the whole I do have a lot of time for this album. It puts me in a good mood and a good one to bop your head to.  After 13 albums most artists would have run out of ideas. However Beck still comes up with the goods and thanks to his endless imagination creates albums which are still fresh and interesting. For me I have probably listened to this album more than any of his others which in itself says a lot. Since back in the 90s and early 2000s I did listen to him quite a bit.

Shinedown - ATTENTION ATTENTION

"ATTENTION ATTENTION" is the 6th album by American rock band Shinedown.  I only discovered Shinedown this year. But after listening to most of their back catalogue over the last few months, I became very, very excited about this record coming out. In fact it became my most anticipated release so far this year. So when I left for work yesterday morning I was very excited to see that all the tracks were now appearing on my Apple Music waiting for me to get stuck into them.  Well normally on release day I would listen to an album a few times. But with this album I must have listened to it about 8 times throughout the day and today I have listened to it about another 4.

So you can probably work out where this review is heading.  I have never listened to an album ever so much on release day.  So what makes this album stand out and make it different? Well to put it simply it is an album. It's not a collection of songs, shoved on a record in some random order. The band have clearly sat down, gone through the songs. Created a beginning, middle and an end. And made an album which flows really well and although 14 tracks and 50 minutes long, it feels like time goes past really quickly.

I think that's where the magic of this album comes to life, in that it goes by really quickly. You are never bored. There are so many twists and turns, ups and downs that it really is compulsive listening. Now I am going to go into a slight gripe about the album but its not really a big thing and doesn't ruin the album.  I think they missed a trick not starting the album with title track "Attention Attention".  Just hearing the lyrics "Attention attention" through a tannoy sound at the start of the album I think would be a great way to start this album. But I think the reason for this is because the title track itself although it is deserving of being on the album. It is not that explosive a song. And for me, this album needs that explosive start. Now the actual start what sounds like foot steps before you hear a door creaking open followed before launching into smash hit "Devil".  So it does start with a bang but just not quite the way I thought it should. But as I say, that is really my only gripe. A very small gripe and the album still works the way the have done it.

One of the things that I like about this album is that they didn't front load it like "Threat to Survival" with all the big songs.  They have spread them through the record.  This is a predominitly hard rock record but they really have looked into each song to make them stand out in their unique way. "Darkside" is prime example of this.  For the first few minutes it is pretty heavy sounding song, then all of a sudden out of nowhere it kicks back into this funky wee interlude, before kicking back into heavy mode.  I mention "Darkside" but I could go onto mention every single track on this album.  It is amazing.  As I said, most of the songs are hard rock. But there is a section of softer of songs on the album, just at the right time later on in the album. The tracks I am talking about are "Get up" and "special".  These tracks just remind you how good a singer Brent is and also these tracks are just so good.

The album finishes with a song which sums up the album "Brilliant".  Its an anthemic track and also right at the end you hear the door creaking again and the foot steps walking away followed by someone saying "Until next time".......... Well this album will keep me happy for quite a while in the mean time. Thank you Shinedown. It's your day to be brilliant.....