Greta Van Fleet - Anthem of the Peaceful Army

"Anthem of the Peaceful Army" is the debut album by American rockers Greta Van Fleet. After releasing 2 EPs last year they were very much honing their sound. "Anthem of the Peaceful Army" sees them step it up a gear and really show what they are about.  Since their last EP "Friendly fires" came out last year I still think they are one of the most talked about bands in rock music today. They have divided music fans and critics right across the globe.

I think one of the most refreshing things about this album is that they could have done what so many artists do with debut albums and take tracks from previous EPs which have done well and put them on the album. But Greta haven't done this at all and have delivered all fresh tracks which are up to the same standard, if not better than the tracks on those EPs.

I would say the main approach Greta have taken here is slightly safe in as much that most of the tracks are all out rockers with a few exceptions. I do think they have every right to do this given this is their debut album and really with a debut album you are trying to build up a fan base. But I do think they are capable of a lot more and I think over time as they develop as musicians and as songwriters they will become more adventurous in their songs. Songs like "You're the One" and "The New Day" show a softer side to Greta and prove they are not just all about the all out rockers.  By being more adventurous I am talking about Greta creating that epic track that would really put them on the map which they need to write in order to be considered alongside the greats they are being compared to. For example "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin or "November Rain" by Guns & Roses.

But at the same time you have to give it to Greta Van Fleet for what they have done so early in their career. Many, many bands have tried to create this style of music in the past few decades and have not had such an impact as Greta Van Fleet have had. Their is a reason for this and it is because of the talent they posses.  I think the keys to their success is the vocals and the guitar. Josh Kiszka has such distinct vocals that are so powerful and has so much energy that it turns these songs from good songs into great songs.

Overall this is a very good album that has propelled Greta Van Fleet further into the spotlight. I think they are capable of even more than this which I hope they deliver on. But for now I have an album which I can delve into further and enjoy for the next few months.

Young the Giant - Mirror Master

Alternative indie band Young the Giant return with their 4th full length album "Mirror Master". The Californian 5 piece burst on to the scene in 2010 with their self titled debut album. I thought that up until this album came out, it was Young the Giant's best album. But their second and third albums; "Mind over Matter" and "Home of the strange" respecitively showed a band who have found their rhythm and have a high level of consistency of producing very good albums.

"Mirror Master" I feel very much sees them in their own comfort zone. If you like Young the Giant before I think you will really like this album. The consistency which I was talking about in the introduction has well and truely carried over to this album and I would even go as far as saying that in places they have upped their game. So much so there is stuff on "Mirror Master" which is some of the best work they have ever done. 

There is a good mixture of songs on here, from upbeat, head nodding stompers to some more delicate songs which really show off Sameer Gadhia's superb vocals. I often say with bands that you can have good guitar players, bass players and drummers. But more often than not its the vocals which can set a band apart.  And this is one of the reasons I think Young the Giant have been producing such great music over the last 8 years and beyond.

The upbeat songs I am talking about come in the shape of "Superposition", hit single "Simplify" and the title track which finishes off the album.  Really good, feel good tracks.  But my favourite track off the album is the slowest and that's "Darkest Shade of Blue". It's a song which is not in a hurry at all. Slow paced, fine lyrics and vocals just very pleasent listening. If anything I wish it would last a bit as it is only 2 minutes 13 seconds long.

Overall I think "pleasent listening" describes how I feel when listening to this record. Young the Giant have produced another fine album. With the singles being so good it will be interesting if radio stations pick up on the fact they have upped their game a bit and play them a bit more.