Coldplay - Everyday life

"Everyday life" is the 8th album by UK rock pop outfit Coldplay.  Released in 2019 this saw a pattern forming in their album releases. "Mylo Xylto" was their commercial rock pop record, then "Ghost stories" was more ambitious and experimental. Then "Head full of dreams" was back to being the commercial rock and pop record. Now with "Everyday life" it's arguably their most ambitious album to date.  And it was quite unique the way they released it. It is dubbed a double album, one side being "Sunrise" and the other being "Sunset".

On the day of release, they played the first half of the album live on you tube at sunrise in Jordan. Then did the second half at sunset at the same venue. This live set is now combined and can still be seen on You tube.  And the setting and performance is quite incredible, and I must admit I much prefer watching the live experience than listening to this on CD.  Mainly because you can fully appreciate exactly what has gone into this record.  There are many session musicians and backing vocals dotted throughout the album that maybe you would miss on CD but really come to the forefront on the live performance as you can see them.

But that's the thing, the live performance they did in Jordan was the only time they would perform "Everyday life" as they chose not to tour the album. At the time they cited that the next time they tour they wanted to do it in the most environmentally friendly way as possible.  They then listed ways they were going to do it but maybe at this stage the research was still in early stages.  Or the cynic in me thinks that they didn't tour it because the album isn't really built for stadiums and doesn't have the same commercial appeal as say "Mylo Xylto" or "Head full of Dreams".

The singles they released off the album were excellent, "Orphans", "Champion of the world" and "Everyday life".  But the absolute standout track for me was "Arabesque".  This song stands as one of my favourite Coldplay songs ever.  It is just so different and has such a great swagger about it.  The saxophone totally dominates this track which is the main reason it stands out so much and this was actually my track of the year in 2019.  

Overall, I think that although there is some diamonds here, it's' not their best album and I think if they believed in it themselves they would have toured it regardless of their morals.  But I think the Jordan performance is magical and is definitely the way I would recommend listening to this album.  

 

Albums I am looking forward to in 2022

 Alter Bridge - Despite members being busy with their own projects at the moment, the plan is to meet in April and start the process of writing an album and get it out Autumn/winter

Asylums - This albums done and will be released in 2022.  Keeping the pattern going by releasing an album every 2 years. Hopefully this one, being their 4th will give them the recognition they deserve.

Avengned Sevenfold - This has been quite a long time in the making as I think it was about 2016 when their last album "The Stage" came out.  They have been getting into the world of NFTs recently and seem on the brink of the album being ready and with festival dates booked for the summer it looks like the album will drop in 2022

Boston Manor - After an EP in 2021.  And saying they have been busy in the studio. Does a new album loom for 2022? or will it be the year after?

Bring me the Horizon - Not exactly sure of timescales but they have another 3 releases due in the Post Human series so would expect 2022 to see one of them

Ghost - They have already dropped a few singles in 2021. Although no album announced yet, they have a tour booked for spring so it can't be long before an album is annonced.

Mars Volta/At the drive in/Omar - Omar has released so much in his career but 2021 seemed like quite a quiet year for him. Yes Mars Volta did release the box set but as far as my memory goes that was it. I would be surprised if one of Omar's projects didn't release something in 2022.

Muse - This one is pure speculation but I think it was 2018 since "Simulation Theory" came out so would not be surprised if they released an album in 2022.

Nosound - Giancarlo Erra has been busy on solo projects but has said to expect a new Nosound album in 2022

Porcupine Tree  One of the few albums I am looking forward to that actually has a release date which  is June.  This came out of nowhere as I thought Porcupine Tree was done and Steven Wilson was quite happy with his solo stuff. But this material has been around a while and is going to see the light of day.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Semi speculation.  They do have a stadium tour booked and I would be very surprised if it was a greatest hits tour. Hopefully a new album to go with it with Frusciante back in the fold.

Shinedown - Seems like a new album is in the can. American tour booked called "Revalations Tour".  Wonder if the artwork and name is going to be the same as the unannonced album.

Slipknot - They did release a single 2021, and have got plenty of gigs booked for 2022 so new album could very well be on the way.

Taylor Swift - She has now released 4 albums in the last 2 years. 2 new ones and 2 re-releases.  Would be nice to get a new album again but the gems she is unearthing with these re-releases, something is better than nothing.

Tenille Townes - She released a few singles in 2021 so quite possibly her second album could be on the cards in 2022.

Those Damn Crows - Guitars and Vocals done for their 3rd album.  Sounds like its almost in the bag so just waiting for release date to be announced

White Lies  -  Couple of singles already released and album and tour coming early in the new year

Wombats -  Last mentioned but this one is due out first.  3 singles already released and a release date in January

6/12/21 - Myles Kennedy @ O2 Academy, Glasgow

 

Myles Kennedy is the lead singer of Alter Bridge and also Slash's band.  But tonight saw him take the stage under his own name on the back of his second album "The Ides of March".  While he toured his debut album "Year of the Tiger" in Glasgow and Edinburgh on separate UK tours.  I didn't make it along to either of those shows.  But I did rank "Year of the Tiger" in my top 10 albums of the year, the year it came out.  In those shows he went proper solo with just him on the stage.  This time he had a drummer who was a friend he grew up with along with a bassist whose actually his manager too.

But first up tonight was Cardinal Black, a band whose story began over 10 years ago.  They were in the process of writing their debut album in American but as you can read on their debut album but things didn't go to plan and they disappeared.  Fast forward to 2021, re-formed and some single releases. Who knows, hopefully an album is around the corner.  The Academy was pretty full for them coming on and Cardinal Black certainly didn't disappoint.  Tom Hollister on vocals delivers such a heart-warming performance with his emotive and powerful vocals.  Chris Buck on guitar is a serious talent, one which Myles himself acknowledged during his set later on.  Not often I have been to a gig and the audience gives a round of applause after a guitar solo during a song. But tonight, it happened twice in total awe of Buck's genius.

I think many would probably be wondering about Cardinal Black only having a half hour set when there was only one support act but I think tonight the quality more than made up for it.  Plus having a second support act only adds to the risk of having someone test positive. Which is the last thing the tour needs.

Myles came on to the stage with Tim and drummer at 9pm sharp and played a variety of songs stretching out from his illustrious career.  But most of the songs were from his 2 solo albums.  With one Alter Bridge song - All Ends well on the acoustic guitar which probably got the best ovation of the night.  He also played "World on Fire" which comes under his Slash repertoire, and he played one Mayfield Four song too.  But the rest was all his solo stuff.  And one thing would be clear is that as much as Myles is known for being one of the nicest, friendliest guys in rock.  He still can't please everyone.  It just shows his talent and the strength of his 2 albums that there were strong songs that he had to leave out.  Most notably 2 of my favourites, the title track from "The ides of March" which is a total rock epic.  And also "The great beyond" which I think he didn't play because to fully do it justice you need the string section.  On another date after this one Myles did actually play "Ides of March" and admitted he didn't play it much because its more challenging to play but he totally nailed it. I'm just glad I got to see the video!

But take nothing away from not playing these songs.  There were plenty of songs played tonight that were so, so good.  And with the likes of "Haunted by Design" and some others he did even do some extended jams to mix things up a bit.  Which is something Alter Bridge, to my knowledge don't really do.   I think Mark Tremonti may have some influence over this in Alter Bridge as Tremonti normally keep to the core of songs too.  Which is fair enough on both accounts.  One thing you really notice about Myles during the gig is just how insanely talented he is, not just as a songwriter but a guitarist too.  When you work alongside some like Tremonti, you could be forgiven for blending into the background due to Marks talent.  But you can see that Myles is just as much of talent as Mark is.   

I do love the latest Myles record.  There are so many warm, upbeat songs like "In Stride", "A Thousand Words" and "Wake me up when it’s over".  Then you have the likes of the slower more brooding "Moonshot" and finishing the encore with "Worried mind.  It really was just an excellent gig and I'm so glad I went to see him this time round.

Photos by Craig Graham and Campbell Hunter

Taylor Swift - Red (Taylor's Version)

 "Red" is the 4th album by country pop sensation Taylor Swift.  Originally released in 2012, fast forward 9 years to 2021 and she is re-releasing it as "Taylor's version".  This is the second album to get this treatment with her second album "Fearless" being the first back in April 2021.  Interestingly she didn't release any singles off "Red" in the run up to the release. Like she did for "Fearless" when she released "Mr Perfectly Fine".   But what she did release in the run up was "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" which is on "1989" which I saw as I very strange decision.  I think it was down to fan demand, but you would have thought she would release something off the album which was due out first.  

I'm not going to lie, athough I am a big Taylor Swift fan and have been for a long time.  When Taylor's version of "Fearless" came out it was exciting to get all these tracks that I hadn't heard from before.  And don't get me wrong when this release came out, I was again looking forward to all the new tracks again.  But at the same time, I am getting a wee bit more sceptical of the whole thing.  I get that she fell out with her old label and is doing this, so she has all the master recordings of the tracks.  But what this could mean in the future doesn't seem good for the music industry in general.  What if all the big acts start re-releasing their albums every 6 months.  It would make it harder and harder for new acts to breakthrough as big acts stay at the top by giving people slightly different versions of what they are familiar with.  And we all know these fans can be very loyal to big artists.

It's not just that though, Taylor is getting appearances on TV shows and all over the music press for this album.  Again, she is getting all this attention for an album that has gotten all this attention already 9 years ago.  All this press she is getting could have been for artists who are bringing out new music now.  And the thing is Taylor still has 7 albums which could give this treatment to.  There is something about it which doesn't seem fair.   But I guess from a TV/music press point of view they see dollar signs with whatever Taylor does and it is in the public interest.  

In a way it may be slightly unfair to single Taylor out.  It's not her fault she is that big an artist.  And I know there are plenty of artists who re-release albums and celebrate anniversaries for albums.  For me it just seems unfair to take attention away from artists who are bringing out albums now.  
But what about this album.  For me the re-recordings need a bit of over analysis to compare them and it's not the way I like to listen to music.  I don't listen to one version of a song then listen to the other and detail the differences. I just don't see the point.  The point for me is that the core of these songs feels the same.  And whatever the intricate differences are "Red" is still a great album and was always a great album.

The extra tracks "From the vault", like the "Fearless" additions" are tracks I am glad she released, there are more country style tracks than I would expect as, after all, "Red" really was Taylor's pop album.  But there are still a few upbeat pop numbers which would have fit quite nicely on to album if it wasn't slammed with hits already.  "Message in a bottle" is my favourite track at the moment.

But in terms of what track has taken all the headlines from this re-release is "All Too Well" 10 minute version.  When I found out there would be a 10 minute version of this song on the album I have to admit I was hoping for a winding guitar solo or a nice piano section.  Afterall bands which do songs of this length that is what you usually get.  But Taylor is not your usual artist.  Taylor has transformed this song and added more versus and extended the outro.  But there are no long instrumental sections, far from it, this is Taylor going into more detail with a story.  With what we found out on "folklore" and "evermore", it's what she does best.

I think what makes the 10 minute version so good as that new versus fit into the song so well and so easily. It's no surprised that this is Taylor's top song on Spotify and has had over 75 million streams, compared to the second highest streaming off this version of red which is "Red" itself with 25 million streams.  I do hope that this has knocked down barriers with pop artists who will be encouraged to write longer songs now with seeing the success of this track.  Coldplay also did one of similar length with their latest album and it was also epic.  

Overall, "Red" to me, will always be a classic album. What she has done to it here has not changed my mind.  I refuse to analyse the differences and take it on the surface. It is essentially the same album with tweaks that don't alter it enough to force my opinion to change.  The extra tracks are most welcome and the 10 minute version of "All too Well" is the cherry on top.  In hindsight I wonder if she wishes she was brave enough to put the 10 minute version on the actual album in the first place.  Instead, now it’s basically listened to as a standalone track.  But I suppose it’s better that than not to see the light of day at all.

Ed Sheeran - = (equals)

 "=" is the 5th studio album from English singer songwriter Ed Sheearn.  Ed rose to fame pretty quickly.  I remember watching Glastonbury coverage the year before his debut album "+" came out and he did "A-team" especially for the coverage. It was clear back then he was talented and also different to what was out there.  Back then he was by himself with a guitar and a loop peddle.  Since then, he has grown to become one of the biggest acts in this decade.  You just have to look at his Spotify streams, "Shape of you" has over 2 billion streams while "Perfect" is 1.8 billion streams and I'm sure there are plenty of other songs too with ridiculous stats.

But to be honest, although liking some of the singles, particularly "A-team" and "Sing". I've never been the biggest Ed Sheeran fan.  I have tried listening to his albums in the past and there has never been enough to bring me back for repeated listens. Yes, he has good singles but there has never been enough depth of quality going into the albums.  That was until I listened to this album "=".  I really feel this time there is a lot more going on with the music here and bringing in other musicians has added some depth and variety to his sound.  Just look and "The Joker and the Queen". A slow-moving piano ballad, which is absolutely majestic and the strings later on make it even better.  

But I think the balance on this album between ballads and more upbeat tracks is where Ed really has nailed it.  The upbeat tracks on here are some of the best he has done.  "Bad Habits" and "Overpass Graffiti" are two of my favourites of the year.  It's difficult to decide which ones better.  The first track "Tides" I thought sounded a bit like Snow patrol from the guitar intro.  Then I found out one of the producers on the album, Johnny McDaid is in Snow Patrol.  The influence is clear but there is more to this track.  The pace changes work well. 

Overall, this is a really solid album and did take me by surprise.  I am still not desperate to see Ed live but I will certainly be listening to this album for a time to come.

Biffy Clyro - The Myth of the happily ever after

 "The Myth of the Happily ever after" is the ninth studio album by Scottish rock trio Biffy Clyro.  Although I still maintain it's their 10th album as the soundtrack "Balance, not symmetry" was basically a Biffy album.  "Myth of the Happily ever after" comes relatively quickly after releasing their previous album "A celebration of endings" just last year (August 2020).  For me that was an absolute belter of an album and one of their best.  Which is saying something as they have released so many good albums up until this point.  They have always been a band pushing their own sound and trying new things.  On "Celebration of endings" they got more people in and there was strings along with other instruments out with guitar, bass and drums which has been the staple of the rest of their albums up until "Celebration".

Obviously, the main reason why this album was so quick to follow its predecessor was because they couldn't tour the last album due to covid which was a real shame.  So, like many bands they have used that spare time to get back in the studio and record more.  But I have read that another reason it was so quick is that they had a load of extra tracks from the "Celebration of endings" sessions but in addition to this they wrote several new songs for the album.  You can see from the cover art that "Myth" and "Celebration" go hand in hand.  The albums have very similar artwork with the difference being that "Myth" has red as the dominant colour and "Celebration" has blue.  So, it's clear that these albums are meant to go together and for me fit into the same era. Which is something, to my knowledge, Biffy haven't really done before.  

It's kind of a bit like what Taylor Swift did last year with "folklore" and "evermore".  She just kept writing after "folklore" came out and produced quite a similar album in the form of "evermore".  But I think what Biffy have done with "Myth" is something quite different to "Celebration" to an extent which has left me quite confused as to why they didn't use fresh artwork, symbolising a new era for the band.  Yes, the strings and piano appear in places again but not as dominant as they did on "Celebration of Endings".  And yes, they have some great singles on here in the "A hunger in your Haunt", "Denier " and "Haru Uraua".  But most songs on "Celebration" are 4-minute tracks or their abouts minus the 6-minute epic which is "Cop syrup".  Whereas "Myth" has 2 tracks about 5 1/2 minutes and 2 tracks which are 6 minutes plus.

This changes the dynamic of the album and they have let their ideas really flourish on these tracks.  I was surprised they released one of the 6-minute tracks as the first single off the album, "Unknown male 01".  I think there are better suited singles on the album that should have been released.  This is much more of a album track in my opinion.  It grew on me more once I heard it in the context of the album. "Witch's cup" is not far off 5 minutes either and works so well sitting beside "Holy Water" which are probably my 2 favourite songs off the album at the moment.  

They also have nailed the opening and closing tracks of the album. "DumDum" starts and builds and builds.  While "Slurpy Slurpy Sleep Sleep" has great quiet and then intense moments which combine to a very satisfying climax to the album.  

Overall although I realise this album did come hot off the heals of "Celebration of Endings".  This is a fantastic album and for me the artwork is almost a red herring as this is not "Celebration of endings 2".  I love how they have longer songs on here.  They have a great balance of songs on the album, some rock hard, some more gentle, some songs go in all different directions which keeps you guessing as to what way they will turn next.  To still be this relevant and this big in today's music scene shows a band who have that creative spark and are still going from strength to strength.

Coldplay - Music of the Spheres

"Music of the Spheres" is the 9th studio album by UK rock/pop outfit Coldplay.  They have been going since the late 90s and propelled themselves pretty much from the off into an arena sized band and it wasn't long till they were filling stadiums and headlining major festivals.  "Music of the Sphere" is the follow up to 2019 "Everyday life" which was arguably their most ambitious album to date.  It's a double album which I have mixed views on. On one hand I do think it's Coldplay's weakest album in their discography. But on the other it features my favourite song Coldplay have ever done in the form of "Arabesque".

I always had a theory since "Everyday life" came out as to what their next album would be like.  This stretches back to "Mylo Xylto" which came out in 2011.  This was a pop rock record which was born for mainstream success. Then in 2014, they released "Ghost Stories", sure it had the anthemic, sing along of "A sky full of stars" but in general it was almost like a chillout album and was a bold and experimental move for the band.  Then in 2015 you have "A Head full of Dreams" which sees them return to the all-out pop rock record.  Then in 2019 you have "Everyday life" which was more experimental record.  See a pattern emerging? - Pop/rock record, more creative record, pop rock record, more creative record.  So, on paper I expected "Music of the Spheres" to be a pop rock record.

Well, is it? Well, when the first single came out, "Higher Power", which is an all-out singalong anthem. Then yes its going as planned.  This has got monster hit written all over it.  But then they threw a curve ball and released "Colourtura".  They made the point that this wasn't a single.  And the reason for that is that it's 10 miniutes long!  So radio wouldn't play it but this did intrigue me as to what the record would sound like as having a 10 minute track on it really does scream, this is not your conventional pop rock record.  Then they released "My Universe" featuring BTS who are a Korean boy band.  Now this is another banger.  The lyrics do feel a bit cheesy "You, you are my universe, I just want to put you first", but once you get past that it is actually a very good song.   And having BTS on the track is a masterful move, engaging with the Asian music market.  It works for Coldplay and it works for BTS.  And having them both singing in Korean in some of the versus also shows how they are embracing Korean culture too as well as doing something which is out with the norm of UK rock music.

So, what about the rest of the record.  It's clear Martin and Co have put a lot of thought into this album.  It is a spaced themed concept album where it is set in a fictional planetary system inspired by Star Wars.  It's 12 tracks with 5 tracks not having proper names but are emoji's instead.  Which I see as a creative and very imagnative move by the band.  I certainly can't recall anyone else doing this.  I would be interested to see if at concerts they announce tracks as "Now this one is the planet emoji" etc.  I would find that quite amusing.  Though it does make sense that most of these are emoji tracks are instrumentals. Three of the emoji tracks, including the intro are just 20-50 seconds long and act as nice bridges between tracks. The heart emoji track is the opposite, instead of being an instrumental.  It's purely vocals with no instruments and has some lush harmonies between Martin, We are King and Jacob Colier.

I think that's thing about the album, if you are looking for the standard hit from Coldplay all the way through, you aren't going to get it here.  There is something different around every corner of this album and I think for me is really the appeal of it.  For example, after heart emoji track you have "People of the pride".  This is like Coldplay do angst for a fair bit of it and has this bass line which runs through some of it in the way Royal Blood would rock out.  For me it's an infectious song and feels a bit different from them.

"Byuitful" is probably my least favourite track on the album.  The backing track is nice and as always Martin's vocals are spot on. But it features this processed sounding female voice which does my head in.  But I would say this is the only track on the album I would skip.  Coming back to the final track on the album "Colourtura" I was slightly annoyed they released it before the album came out in hindsight because it is the album closer.  I think you listen to a song completely differently when listening to it as a final track on an album than a track by itself.  But don't get me wrong it is a great track and ambitious for a band like Coldplay to do this.  I have heard big bands try doing longer tracks and trust me they don't always work. But Coldplay have something special here.  I like that it's a piano based track and I think the only one on the album.  I like the way it climaxes and is like a theatrical ending before having a nice fade out.

Other tracks "Humankind" is a track I would be surprised if it doesn't come out as a single. "Let somebody go" is quite a moving slow track featuring Selena Gomez.  They seem to be good at getting the A listers out with Rhianna, Beyonce and Jay Z featuring in Coldplay tracks in the past.  Now they have both Selena Gomez and BTS on this album as well as some others.   I must mention the infinity emoji track too.  It's a bit longer than the other instrumental emoji tracks and is one of my favourite tracks on the album. The drumming is superb on this track as it creates a fantastically fast rhythm.  And you can hear the chant of "Ole, ole, ole ole ole" running through it making it born for the stadium tour they are going to be embarking on next year.

Overall, I think this record which will divide people. I can see a camp of people complaining that there are not enough "mainstream" songs on here, too many instrumentals, not enough substance.  Then the other camp of people who appreciate the balance of the album between mainstream and experimentation.  Personally, I am in the latter camp. I think this is an absolutely amazing album.  It's like a proper adventure, “Higher Power" and "My Universe" reach the peaks of the likes of "Yellow" and "Viva la Vida".  "Colourtura” finishes off the album as good as they finished off "Parachutes", "A rush of blood to the head" and "A head full of dreams". And just the general creativity and imagination they have put into this album, mixed with the artists they have brought along for the ride, shows a band who are still totally relevant and deserve their place as one of the biggest bands on the planet. And long may it continue.

 

Coldplay - A Head Full of Dreams

"A Head Full of Dreams" is the 7th album by UK rock band Coldplay. Released in 2015, "A Head full of Dreams" was the follow up to 2014's "Ghost stories".  That's right due Coldplay choosing to do a 5-date world tour for "Ghost Stories", they pressed ahead and took just a year to record and release their next record.  This was mainly due to "Ghost Stories" being such a different record for Coldplay and although it was successful and had big hits on it such as "Magic" and "A sky full of stars".  The songs didn't really fit the bigger stage.

Whereas many of the songs on "A Head full of Dreams" really were born for the bigger stage.  This album is the much more natural follow up to their 5th album "Mylo Xylto".  And due to the similarities between them I would even call them sister albums.  For me I would say "Mylo Xylto" is the slightly better album.  I think the singles are stronger and as a whole it shines brighter.  But "A Head full of Dreams still has highlights and the singles still fit into their live set nicely.  The title track kicks off the album and sets the bar high.  "Hymn for the weekend" and "Adventure of a lifetime" are the other great singles.

Going deeper into the album "Everglow" is a superb piano led track.  It has an early Colplay vibe about it and would have fit well on "Parachutes" or "Rush of Blood to the head".  It's slower but has a great impact on the listener.  The album does take a bit of a nosedive in the middle with "Fun" and "Kaliedescope" being some of Coldplay's more forgettable tracks.  It gets slightly better with "Army of one".  Then a bit better again with "Amazing day".  But you get the feeling they are a bit on cruise control at this point. Not really trying anything out of the ordinary and creating songs that are just good enough and not ambitious enough to really push themselves any on the creative side.

I would say one song which does stand out in comparison to "Mylo Xylto" is the closing track "Up & Up".  For me the only thing wrong with "Mylo" was the last track wasn't as strong or as appropriate for a closing track as other Coldplay albums have been.  But here on "A head full of Dreams", they have finished this album off spectacularly and as much as I love "Everything’s not lost" and particularly "Amsterdam".  They do go out on a slightly lower tone.  Whereas this is all about positive both in lyrics and music. It has this long, amazing bridge through first a piano section, then the guitar solo.  For me it is the best closer to an album they have done.

Overall, I would say this is a fairly good album.  I have compared it to "Mylo Xylto" a lot in this review and I stand by that.  In comparison to other albums, I would say it would appear quite far down my list.  But it is still a good album which shows how good Coldplay are.  It just feels like they are a bit on autopilot with this album when you compare it to the creative spark that was "Ghost Stories" I expected something a bit more creative but got something very safe.

 

Orla Gartland - Woman on the internet

 "Woman on the internet" is the debut album by 26-year-old Irish singer songwriter Orla Gartland.  Although releasing her debut album in 2021 you would have thought she is quite a new artist. However, she has been plugging away and gaining more and more recognition for years. Her first EP was released way back in 2011 called "Laughing at my own jokes" and has released 3 more since.  She also has a very popular You tube channel with over 21 million views to date where she has posted many covers.

The album starts off with "Things I have learned" which is a great introduction to the album. It has this hypnotic beat at a perfect tempo and the vocals much like the rest of the album are superb.  Although Orla is clearly the star of the show here.  There are plenty of other people helping her on this record to make it a real gem.  You've got guitar, bass, drums and synths on every track.  Second track "You're not special, babe" has a great chorus. Not only because it has that upbeat, chirpiness of the first track but again the vocal performance is superb.

3rd track "More like you" continues the momentum of feel-good anthems and is currently her most popular track on Spotify and has 5 million streams. In fact, it looks like there is only one track of hers which streams more which is "Heavy" which is not on the album, and I think is a cover of the Linkin Park track. Recommended listening.  4th track "Over your Head" continues the momentum.  It feels so massive and built for playing live.

But my favourite track on the album is track 5 "Zombie!".  First, why don’t more artists use the word "zombie" as it’s such a fun word.  Again, another upbeat chirpy number.  This track and the tracks leading up to this are just so fun and carefree and that's what I like about her the most.  Track 6 "Madison" takes the tempo down a little and is more of a stripped back track.  While I would love for the momentum of the album to continue the way it was going. I suppose mixing things up every now and then isn't a bad thing.  Track 7 "Do you mind?" is another downbeat track and whereas the previous tracks although synths did appear were more of guitar led tracks, this is a piano led track.  

Track 8 "Copendancy" sends the album back into upbeat mode with a heavy guitar line as the intro to the song.  The way the guitars come in and out of this song and mix with Orla's vocals is superb and shows the great level of creativity Orla puts into her song writing. I really feel that this brings such a freshness to Orla's sound.  Track 9 "Pretending" is another glorious track and Orla's voice soars more than ever on this track and making it another stand out moment on the album.

Track 10 "Left Behind" is a stripped back slow piano ballad.  Then the album finishes on "Blood Line/Difficult Things".  "Blood Line" has a really funky beat brought out by the bass and yet another great chorus.  You can see why she has shot to fame.  Such great hooks to so many of her songs.  The second part of the song "Difficult things" closes the album nicely rounding off with an acoustic ballad.

Overall, I feel this is not only a great effort for a debut album.  But Orla has showed such creativity and injected great freshness into not only her own music but the music industry generally.  This is exactly what people need currently. Something upbeat that you can move around too while also having that balance with those poignant ballads.  Someone to look out for in the future. She is seriously talented.

Tremonti - Marching in time

 

"Marching in time" Is the fifth album by established metallers Tremonti. Fronted by former Creed and current axe wielder for Alter Bridge, Mark Tremonti; this album sees the band make the most of their time off from touring due to the pandemic by channelling their focus into this new album.  I have been into Tremonti for several years now and have been lucky enough to see them live a few times.  I thought their last album "A dying machine" was the best they have ever done. And that's saying something considering the standard on some of their other albums like "All I was" and "Dust".

But how would "Marching in time" stack up against this.  Tremonti released 4 tracks on the run up to this release, all of which I thought were great.  I'm always interested to see where the singles line up on the album and in this case, they were tracks 1-3 and then the album closer.  I am a bit obsessed with how bands open and close albums and this album is no different.  I find it fascinating that he not only opened with a single he released but also released a single which is the last track on the album.   Opening track "A World Away" for me is the "Take me with you" of the album which appeared on "A dying machine".  Not only has this got sublime guitar work all the way through but it has the best chorus on the album as it is so catchy and memorable.

In a live setting it is quite common for bands to open with one of their stronger more well-known tracks to really bring the crowd in. And I think that's what Mark is trying to do here with the album. He wants the listener to really be brought into the album immediatley and pay attention.  And it works.  This is a different approach to albums Mark has done in the past, particularly with Alter Bridge.  Tracks like "Slip the void" off "ABIII" and "One Life" off "Walk the Sky" are by design are natural intros to their respective albums and would only really fit as the first track on the album.  But "A world away" could appear anywhere apart from the last track.  It is just that good it needs to be on the album as for me it is one of the best tracks.

The last track "Marching in time" is my other favourite track on the album as well and is an interesting choice for that position on the album. Looking back at even Tremonti's own albums "Unable to See" off "Dust" and "Found" off "A dying machine" were natural closers, gently closing off their respective albums.  Whereas here, "Marching in time" sends the listener into one of the most epic track Tremonti has ever made.  And I know he made "Blackbird" by his other band Alter Bridge.  But this is his attempt at doing an epic 7-minute track Tremonti style.  Some of the shredding and guitar solos on this are incredible.  I think with these tracks sometimes it is better to put them at the end of the album as the next track will always sound weaker in comparison.

But this is a 12-track album so what about all the other 10 tracks in between? Well, these tracks are really solid and to a high standard.  I would say in comparison to other Tremonti albums a lot of tracks do have a heavier feel about them, particularly the intros to the songs which really do send out a statement.  I also think that technically, the guitar playing on this album feels more complex and advanced than before and I don't think that's just down to Mark but also the very talented Eric Freidman too.  I would say there aren't as many anthemic songs on here as "A dying machine". As in real sing along chorus songs.  But that in turn gives the album a fresh dynamic and separates it from other Tremonti albums.  My other favourite songs on the album are "Thrown Further", "Bleak" and a takeout the lighters song waiting to happen "Not Afraid to Lose".

Overall, this is a fantastic album and one of the things I love about Tremonti is that he keeps advancing and challenging himself.  All the songs on this album work well together and can be set apart from previous albums.  Mark is such an established act on the circuit now through Creed, Alter Bridge and Tremonti and such a hard-working artist.  It's hard to see when this steam rolling music machine is going to stop. Hopefully with this output it is no time soon.

21/09/21 Bring me the horizon @ SSE Hydro, Glasgow

I first found Bring me the Horizon quite a few years ago through their hit "Follow You".  Although I absolutely loved that song and heard some of their stuff. It wasn't until "amo" came out in 2019 I really got into them.  When tickets first went on sale for this gig, they sold out pretty quickly and for a change I thought I'd missed the boat. But luckily, they released extra seating tickets later which I managed to snap up for my fellow gig buddies Craig and Campbell and myself.

The two supports for tonight were Nova Twins and You Me at six.  We only managed to catch half of Nova twins set due to long queues outside to get in and being slightly late getting there. But what I did hear was very good.  For a 3 piece they make an incredibly heavy sound and Amy Love's singing is great.  To be honest I had listened to the album earlier this year and wasn't really taken in by it.  But for me the came across live a lot better than on record.

Next up was You me at six.  A band I have never really been into.  They have been around for about 15 years now and have certainly paid their dues.  And from this performance it was clear that they are good at connecting with the audience and put a lot of energy into the performance.  But for me the first three quarters of the set sounded a bit too samey.  Ok if you liked that vibe but for me it felt like each song was like the same thing off a production line. Towards the end of the set they started mixing things up.  With the crowd taking out their phones to light up the room for the melodic "Take on the World".  This is one of their better songs but plenty of other bands doing this sort of thing better.  

They played "SUCKAPUNCH" which is the self-titled song off the new album.  This is like a rock meets rave song.   Something Bring me the Horizon were doing in "amo" a few years back and it definitely feels like they were influenced by tonight’s headliner.  I enjoyed this song the most from their set.  As well as their mega hit "Underdog" which went down a storm. That's an anthem right there.  They do have some good songs but for me not enough to make me want to see them again or investigate them any further.

Which is my opposite thoughts to tonight’s headliners Bring me the horizon.  It was an absolutely amazing set.  The fact they can play songs virtually off every album and no tracks feel out of place is a testament to their consistency over the many years they have been going for now.  I was wondering how they were going to get round the many collabs they have done now.  While the Nova twins came on for 1x1.  They did manage to play "Obey" and "Kingslayer" and I presume just have the recording playing for the vocals from Youngblood and Baby metal respectively.

I was really pleased with the set list.  My favourites like "Mantra", "Parasite eve" were played along with a special acoustic version of "Follow you".  It was interesting to see that although the new stuff went down well. There were some old songs that you felt the crowd were really into with the way the sung them.  Not only that but for most songs for folk in the standing section there were circle pits. I've never seen anything like it.  Not only that but plenty of crowd surfing too which to be honest I thought was a thing of the past.  So, if you do like bring me the horizon but don't like jumping around at gigs. I suggest standing at the back or seats.

Overall, what can I say. This was an absolutely superb gig.  For me Bring me the horizon have proven tonight that they have enough material of a high, high standard to start headlining festivals.  There are so many headliners to festivals who rely on old material which has been around for years.  Bring me the horizon have released great material over the last 2 years and even in the week of this gig released a single "Die4u" which is another banger and have a plan for another 3 EPs over the next few years.  I can only see them getting bigger.  A great band.

 

Kacey Musgraves - Star-Crossed

 

"Star-Crossed" is the 5th album by Texas born singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves.  Up until this point Kacey seems to have been on an upward trajectory with each album she has released.  Her early albums saw her firmly in the country genre before releasing her 4th album "Golden Hour" which saw her shift slightly to pop and more melodic melodies.  I got into Kacey's music when "Golden Hour" came out after seeing some good reviews of the album.  I thought "Golden Hour" was tremendous and was one of my favourite albums not only of the year it came out but the 2010s generally.  I then went through her back catalogue and found this album although special wasn't a one off.  She has serious talent and depth to her music.

So, when she dropped the title track "Star-Crossed" a couple of weeks ago I was excited for this album.  I felt that it was well suited to being the opener of the album as it really sets the scene with the opening lyrics:

Let me set the scene 
Two lovers ripped right at the seam
They woke up from the perfect dream
And then the darkness came

Now I'm not really a lyrics person but that to me are great lyrics and bringing in the listener and telling the listener what this album is going to be all about.  Obviously, it’s about Kacey's divorce so she's opening up about the whole experience and letting it all out on the album.  But the track "Star-crossed" is a nice track which builds and builds too.

Second single "justified" is just as good. the rhythm and the vocals are superb on this and the two tracks these 2 tracks which she released will slot very nicely into her setlists.  But in listening to the whole album while its definitely not bad, it's certainly not one of her strongest albums.  As you would guess because this album is about divorce the whole feel of the album is quite downbeat.  Now if you are reading this and going through divorce or have been through it in the past, this may be a great album to you as you can relate to what she is saying and how she is feeling.  But I haven't, so although there are good tracks on here, and by the way I'm not just talking about "Star-crossed" and "justified".  Tracks like "cherry blossom", "keep lookin' up" and "there is a light".  But these other tracks are good because they offer hope and optimism about the future whereas the other tracks are the sadder more reflective tracks.

Final track "gracias a la vida" is a poor track to finish off with as there are distorted vocals in this which don't work at all.  This is a 15-track album and for me there are too many tracks which don't hit the mark but at the same time because of her back catalogue there is enough for Kacey to mean she can tour this album and play the good tracks from it while she has plenty to fall back on from her older albums.

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

 

"Senjutsu" is the 17th album by English metal prog gods Iron Maiden.  First of all a brief background of my history with the band.  I remember buying "Brave New World" back in 2000 and liking it.  But then lost track of them and it wasn't until 2010 when "Final Frontier" came out that I would listen to them again.  That was my favourite album by them up until this year. I loved all the longer tracks on the album especially. Then their next album "Book of souls" came out five years in 2015 which I also bought and was a double album. For a band that pushes their sound and their own boundaries a lot this was ambitious even for them and featured their longest track to date which was in the 20 minute ball park.

Here we are though in 2021 and now finally after 6 years we have a new Maiden album. Obviously, there was an extensive "Book of souls" tour, but they also did a tour looking back at an older album too with their "Legacy of the Beast" tour.  This year thanks to Tim's Twitter listening party where two of the albums involved were "Powerslave" and "Seventh son of the seventh son" has seen me really get into Maiden in a bigger way than ever before. While I haven't got into the whole back catalogue yet. I have listened to a lot of the 80s stuff and also bought a lot of the live DVDs they have released over the years.

In terms of the build up to "Senjetsu", Maiden did make it fun for fans by giving out t-shirts to famous music friends like Frank Turner and Tim Burgees and getting them to wear the t-shirts or post on social media to create this hype wagon.  There was then a countdown to specific day and time at one point which ended up being the premier of a new song which was "Writing on the wall" which was soon followed by the album announcement.  "Writing on the wall" I felt shows everything which is good about Maiden; great guitar work, great vocals and all round great song composition.  I did see some reaction afterwards from reviewers saying Bruce’s voice has gone but I have to disagree with that. I think he still has it.

In terms of the album, like "Book of souls" this is a double album which is roughly 40 minutes per CD.  6 tracks on the first side and 4 tracks on the second side.  The first 6 tracks have what I would call some of the more accessible tracks on the album and ones which would appeal to more people.  Tracks like "Writing on the Wall", "Stratego" and "Days of Future past" are the shortest tracks on the album. "Stratego" I thought was alright when I first heard it but I think it’s a track which fits on the album better than listening to it as an individual track.  "Days of Future past" for me is a better track.  It has a fast tempo kind of like "The Trooper" without being a carbon copy.  For me it's a lot more of a hit than "Stratego" and I think it deserves the single treatment and definitely an appearance in their live set.

Title track "Senjetsu" sets up them album well, being the first track.  The big drum comes in straight away and the 8 minutes it lasts for feels like it’s over all too soon.  Much like other tracks on this album.  Another track on the first side is "Lost in a lost world" which is the longest track on the first side at around 9 minutes.  I would say this has one of the best outros on the album as it winds down with about a minute to go with Bruce's lyrics slotting in absolutely perfectly with the music.

To be honest I think they could have gotten away with just releasing the first disc as an album itself. Yes, it's 6 tracks but it's also 40 minutes which is more than acceptable for an album.  It is nicely contained, has the longer tracks and has the more anthemic tracks.  I certainly wouldn't have complained if this was the album.  However, if you hear the 4 tracks on the second disc you would probably change your mind.  The first disc is excellent, but the second disc reaches places and moments which are out of this world and for me arguably up there with best Iron Maiden have ever done.

The shortest track on this disc is "Darkest Hour" which is still 7 minutes long.  Then you have "Death of the Celts" at 10 minutes, "The Parchment" at 12 minutes and "Hell on earth" rounding off the album at 10 minutes.  Now I think the best way to get across how good these songs are, is that when you look across at say 5-6 minutes through any of these songs. I don't look at it and go "Oh no another 5 odd minutes to go". At these points I'm thinking "You absolute beauty 5-6 minutes to go”.  These songs are all absolute epics.  I must pay particular attention to "Death of the celts" as this gives me major goosebumps.  The long guitar instrumental section on this is just sensational.  The way the track progresses and the change in pace along with the interplay between guitarists is this best passage of music I have heard all year.  "The Parchment" I feel has an uphill task following this and I think on most other Maiden albums it would stand out a lot more as it well and truly still has its moments. And when I say moments, in Maiden terms moments equals minutes.  The way this song builds up and finishes with an epic guitar solo is spot on.

Overall, I think and hope this goes down as a classic Maiden album.  I think it's better than "Book of souls" and "Final Frontier which was my favourite album by Maiden for a long time has now been moved off its perch.  It's harder to compare it to the classic albums they did in the 80s.  This is a very different beast.  I have listened to this at least twice a day for the last week and I still think there is more to discover and unlock.  One things for sure, if I have an hour and twenty minutes to spare in the coming months I sure know what I am going to be doing with it!

Chvrches - Screen Violence

 

"Screen Violence" is the 4th album by synth pop megastars from Glasgow, Scotland - Chvrches.  This is the follow up to 2018's "Love is Dead".  It should be noted that in between albums in March 2019, they also released a track with Marshmello called "Here with me" which is their most streamed song on Spotify by far with 509 million streams at time of writing.  They also released a song "Death Stranding" for "Death Stranding: timefall" soundtrack for a video game.

The first single to be taken off the album was "He said She said" which must be the most Chvrches sounding track they have ever done.  If you were to play this song to someone it would act as a good beginners guide as to what Chvrches are all about.  Straight up synth pop at his finest with a chorus going "I feel like I'm losing am losing my mind" which is a lyric which seems so obvious for the band to do and I have no idea why this has taken 4 albums for it to appear on.

The second single "How not to drown" features Robert Smith of the Cure. Although I am not a fan of the Cure, on this occasion Smith compliments Maybury's voice well as they alternate versus.  It's always interesting as well to get singers come in, in a genre which isn't the one they are known for with in this instance The Cure.  So, a decent track.

The 3rd single was "Good girls" which is another catchy, solid track.  I don't think there are any songs on the album which reach the peak of "Mother we share" or "Clearest Blue".  But while there is not any standout tracks, I wouldn't say there are any weak tracks either.  This is a solid album and I think they would have had a hard time choosing singles as it's one of those albums where it doesn't really feel there are any album tracks, and any could have been released. At the same time the song with Robert Smith was probably an obvious one to hopefully pull in some Cure fans.

Some might say it's just another Chvrches album and they would be right to an extent.  They are doing what they are good at and really there aren't any artists out their doing what they do, as good as they do now. What's the point in going into other flooded genres when you are so good at the one, you're in.  In saying that the drumming is more prominent on this record and some guitars too and even noticed a piano in a track.  But even though they are doing this, they still have that core Chvrches sound. Just as I like it.