Greta Van Fleet - The Battle at Garden's Gate

 "The Battle at Garden's Gate" is the second album by classic rockers Greta Van Fleet.  I have been following these guys for a few years now, since early 2018, just before their debut album landed.  I was lucky enough to see them live when they toured the album. I say lucky as I got tickets despite the tour selling out in minutes at a 2,500-capacity venue.  But the actual experience, while overall was good, was let down a bit with frustratingly long guitar solos that seem to go nowhere and last what felt like an eternity.

But one thing about Greta is that they are a young band and still growing and evolving.  They got people talking from the minute the stepped on to the scene with their early EPs and as their debut came out, the snowball effect came into play and got people talking even more. With the release of Greta Van Fleet's second album the momentum has not stopped, and Greta don't back down, they just come out fighting harder.  It's clear they still get annoyed at the comparisons they get to 70s rock bands like Led Zeppelin.  They just want people to see them for creating something which gives them their own identity rather than people just thinking they are copycats.

Personally, I think even with the last album they created their own identity. Yes, it's clear they have their influences but these are their tracks and it's difficult to say which tracks people think they are copying because I don't think there is any grounds for this.  I think the reason is, is because it was so good and well received by many, it's easy for haters to come out and stamp all over them.

But what have they done differently with this album?  Well even from the face of it you can see what they have done.  Their debut "Anthem of the Peaceful Army" is 11 tracks long coming in just under 50 minutes.  This means the average track length is about 4 1/2 minutes.  Now look at "The Battle at Garden's Gate" and its 12 songs long coming in at 1 hour 3 minutes. So, the average track time is 5 1/2 minutes.  An average of 1 minute longer per track.  This shows that they have tried to really push themselves more into creating longer more complex tracks.  And on listening to the album, you really do hear this.  It goes in all sorts of directions and you can really feel a step up in terms of quality compared to the first album and that's saying something as the first album was good.

I would say that due to this there is not as many straight up, to the point rock songs which have had to have been dialled back due to being more adventurous.  But the likes of "My Way, Soon" does fit that bill so they did have a track which is suited for single release.  It was clear though from the first single that they released "Age of Machine" which sits at just under 7 minutes long where this album was going.

My favourite tracks off the album are "Broken Bells" and "The Weight of Dreams".  "Broken Bells" has I felt the vocals were particularly good on this track and it has some nice guitar parts.  "The Weight of Dreams" closes out the album and is the "epic" track I have been waiting for from Greta Van Fleet.  This track is 9 minutes long and has a sublime guitar solo.  It's one of those that peaks and then just keeps peaking.  The whole track is wonderful.  I don't know what it is about longer tracks but I just find myself drawn to them and when they are done as good as this, I find myself completely encapsulated by them.

Overall a great album.  It has taken me time to really get into this one and I think there is still more to unearth as there is so much to it. But that is the great thing about it.  The talent these boys possess is unreal and I feel they have reached new heights with this effort.  The haters are probably going to grow but I think the fanbase will also grow too which is why more people will hate them.  It was difficult enough to get tickets for their last tour but with the amount of material they have now I can see them stepping up to arenas quite comfortably. Let's just keep the guitar solos like they did on this record. :-D

One final note. I bought the CD for this and nice of them to put a bit of effort into it. The feel of it is great and the artwork inside is something I would be quite happy to hang on the wall.

The Offspring - Let the bad times Roll

 "Let the band times Roll" is the 10th album by rock punk gods The Offspring.  This album has been 9 years in the making.  Things like the bands touring schedule, legal issues, changing label, changing bassist and of course covid all contributing to taking so long to get this album out.  Back in the late nineties when "Americana" was released then "Conspiracy of One" in 2000 I like many, many others was really into The Offspring. They could do no wrong at that point and were well and truly in the eye of the mainstream with strong radio and MTV play.  But out with those times, although still having a healthy fanbase, that really was peak Offspring.  Which is slightly unfair as Offspring have had some great singles and albums out with those times.

But after 9 years what does "Let the bad times Roll" have to offer.  Well after hearing the first 2 singles "Let the bad times roll" and "We never have sex anymore" I have to say I lowered my expectations.   I started planning out this review and basically ready to destroy this album based on the 2 singles. Then though the album came out.  "This is Utopia" kicks it off which I thought was alright.  Then I cringed a bit knowing the title track was coming and suddenly during it I changed my mind and thought hang on this is quite a catchy and good tune.  It's like it suddenly started to make sense in a blink of an eye.

In fact, most of this album sees The Offspring at their punk rock best.  Short, catchy, in your face songs which really pack a punch.  Yes, some hit harder than others but that mixes things up by keeping the pace of the album changing.  The second single "We never have sex anymore" is an example of this as the guitars are ditched as the instrumental focal point is the brass instruments and it works a treat.  Another interesting track is "In the hall of the mountain king" which is a cover of a classical piece by Edvard Grieg dating back to 1875.  Now you may be wondering what the hell is that but if you hear it, you will instantly recognise it.  The Offspring have done a minute adaption of it using electric guitars.   It's one of those tunes a band might do while messing around on stage in between songs. But here Offspring put it on their album.  Some artists may not get away with it, but The Offspring are punk rock, so this rightfully adds that fun element to the album.

It's not all fun though as on the 11th track The Offspring get a bit more serious with a piano version of 1997's "Gone away" which you can find the full electric version on "Inxay on the Hombre".  I think you need to be a hardened Offspring fan to even realise this is adaptation of a song that was released some 24 years ago.  The only thing which makes it the same really is the lyrics as the piano really does completely transform it. If you put different lyrics over this it would be a completely different song and I don't think anyone would have noticed it was the tune to "Gone Away".    It is magnificent and deserves its place on the album.  I can see why the Offspring don't do this all the time as they are after all a punk rock band, but it does show a different side to them that even after nearly 30 years as a band, they have never really showed before as far as I'm aware.

Although I think most of this album is great it does fall at the final hurdle for me in the closing track "Lullaby".  Here they have done a minute long track which uses the lyrics from "Let the bad times roll" in a kind of reprise fashion to bring the album to a close.  The problem is I think if you want to pull this off "Let the bad times roll" needs to start the album in order to work and to close the album like this.  And the way they distorted the vocals on the closer for me doesn't work at all and sounds horrible.  If you want to hear an opener/closer tracks work in the way they were attempting you should listen to Mason Hill's "Against the Wall" album.

But overall, despite that last hiccup this album has been both a refreshing and pleasant surprise.  To me this is The Offspring back to their best although they have only released 2 singles off this album so far. There are plenty more tracks which could make it as singles too which only shows the strength and depth of this album.  They have experimented a bit too with a cover, pianos and brass and all really work well. Let's hope it's not 9 years till the next instalment.

Marc Carlton - Winter Diary

"Winter Diary" is the 10th album by multi-instrumentalist Marc Carlton. I say 10th album, but interestingly on his website this album comes under special projects rather than albums.  The other special projects listed appear to be soundtracks but this album as he describes on the website as a mixture of old, re-recorded pieces and fresh new music.  I personally would class it as an album which is why I've called it his 10th album because he has created something new here and with the new pieces it does bring about a different jigsaw.  

 Marc also describes this as his simplest works since "Voices through endless walls" which was his second album.  Although I have the first 3 albums, I haven't given them a proper listen yet. Unlike his albums between, his 4th album "Still" right up until this album "Winter Diary" which came out last year where I have now reviewed all the albums from "Still" onwards.  But anyway onto "Winter Diary". Why does Carlton describe this as simple?  Well, if you have listened to Carlton's work over the years, he generally mixes between different instruments including guitars (acoustic and electric), mellotrons, piano, keyboards and even bongos.  But in "Winter Diary" the star of the show and what the album is centred around is the acoustic guitar. You will find on most tracks he uses 2 acoustic guitars giving the pieces depth as they act as layers.  That's not to say other instruments don't appear on the album as piano, mellotron and synthesiser do appear in places. 

It might be synths that start off the album but I'm not 100% but I do know it's a wind type effect which flows through the first track really adding to the concept of the album which I imagine to be a cold winter's day with a cold breeze flowing through the air.  It sets the tone and the imagery for the album well.  This is also how the album finishes giving the album closure.  One thing which amazes me about Carlton is his ability to change moods and feelings of a track using just an acoustic guitar. This can be within tracks and tracks 8, "Ask me" and particularly track 10 "The eyes of all ways" are prime examples of this.  These tracks are good on face value, but I feel sometimes you can appreciate them even more if you just let your imagination run wild and really allow the music in and to make up your own story about the music.  

 Marc almost nudges you in the direction for this album of thinking about being out for a walk on a cold winters day and the elements being unpredictable and ever changing. For most of the album it is quite a pleasant walk and Marc does this by playing the acoustic guitar in a gentle plucking way giving you a warm feeling of the sun being out but going through the snow.  But through the darker passages Marc uses more aggressive strumming which to me reflects the storms you are going through on the walk.  I would say my favourite piece on the album is "Clay trees" really as you might have guessed it for the guitar work is particularly to my tastes.  But I feel over the 11 tracks, having not listened to the original tracks were re-recorded for this album everything seems to fit together nicely.

 I saw an interview recently with prog legend Steven Wilson who said he looks at his guitar now and thinks he has completed it and does not really know where else to go with it.  Well Steven you should listen to "Winter Diary" and be well and truly amazed because this is a master class of what can be done with an acoustic guitar.  Once again Carlton has shown just how talented he is, there is a few storms to navigate but what is the fun in everything being plain sailing. It keeps it interesting and is such a nice listen.

For more info or to listen/buy Marc's music go here : https://www.madrigalproject.co.uk/index.html

Taylor Swift - Fearless (Taylor's version)

 

Fearless was the second album by country/pop singer songwriter Taylor Swift.  The album sold 12 million copies worldwide after being released way back in late 2008. Fast forward 13 years and now Taylor has re-released it in order to own the master recordings of her own catalogue. So that means she has re-recorded the whole album.  But along with the original 13 songs that made up the album we are getting 7 tracks which were included in the platinum edition of the album and a further 6 tracks which were previously unreleased from that era.

I remember back to 2008 and hearing "Love Story" and being instantly captivated by Taylor. When the album was released, I listened to it most days for the best part a year and had it on in some form wherever I went be it the CD in the car or on my MP3 player while commuting to work.  Basically, I loved the album. To me it was an all-time classic.  One thing I didn't have was the platinum edition of the album so when the re-released album came out a few days ago it wasn't just the 6 unreleased songs that were new to me, it was the extra 13 songs.

In terms of the re-recorded version of the actual album minus the extra tracks the recording does have a certain freshness about it. But at the same time the core of the songs is the same.  Different production is probably the reason for this, and I have heard from various people that Taylor's voice has changed over the years giving the album that updated sound.  I think though I have listened to this album so much over the years that I won't be listening to the original album as much as I used to. Especially considering I listen to so much music by other artists as well now which is something I didn't do as much when this album came out.

But I tell you what I am glad she re-released this with all the extra tracks as these are tracks which shouldn't be locked away, never to be heard.  Particular favourites include "Today was a fairy tale", "Mr Perfectly fine" and "Superstar".  But all the extra tracks deserve their place.   "My Perfectly fine" on paper sounds like a track where Taylor has found a man, she thinks is perfect.  But no this is your standard Taylor rant track about a guy who breaks her heart and who thinks he is totally above her.  It just wouldn't be a Taylor album without a track like this. 

Overall, Taylor had every right to re-release this. It remains a classic album and the extra tracks are the icing on the cake.  It must have been a hard decision to leave some of these off the actual album as some stand shoulder to shoulder with those that made it on to the album.  This is just the first of the re-recordings as well as Taylor is planning to do this with another 5 of her albums.  Hopefully, that will unearth some gems just like this one did.

Iron Maiden - The History of Iron Maiden Part 1 The early days (DVD)

 I hardly ever write DVD reviews and in fact this maybe my first one.  But I was compelled to do one after watching this one.  Earlier this year I did a Tims Twitter Listening party number 666 where it was Iron Maiden's album "Powerslave".  I have never listened to this album before and was greatly impressed. So much so I have been listening to a lot of Maiden recently.  But I'm finding is there is so much of it and I didn't really know much about them.  So, when I saw "The History of Iron Maiden....part 1" on Amazon I thought perfect.

And perfect really is the word for it.   There is an hour and half documentary on this which covers the bands formation in 1975 to roughly 1981 which therefore includes their debut album and second album Killers.  I had no idea they had so many line-up changes before their debut even came out.  The documentary has a lot of band member interviews both past and present and explains what happened over the early years with the various band members.

What I didn't count on when buying this DVD was just how much live footage there would be. While they are not the long hour and half plus concerts, we are used to seeing now a days.   There are 3 gigs with more in extras and live TV performances.  I had to watch both discs over 2 nights, including one night where I sat and watched footage for 3 hours. There is just so much to it. And it is fantastic.

For Maiden fans that have been with them since the start this serves as bringing back memories.  But for people like me this and the many Maiden fans they have picked up in the last 40 years this really does act as an education and real eye opener into just how good they were straight off the bat.  No wonder they went on to great things.

I should note that if you are looking for DVDs but the DVDs aren't called Part 2, 3, 4 they are titled after the live performance for that era.

The Dust Coda - Mojo Skyline

 

"Mojo Skyline" is the second album by London rockers The Dust Coda.  I picked up on this band a few years ago about a year after the release of their self-titled debut album.  Their mix of Led Zep and AC/DC fuelled rock and roll was most appealing.  "Mojo Skyline" certainly sees a continuation of this rather than anything dramatically new or experimental.

The one thing I love the most about The Dust Coda and the thing that separates them from many of the other rock bands trying to breakthrough now is John Drake's vocals.  Nothing shows off his pipes more than the opening track to this album "Demon" as he sings alone with no back track "I've got a demon, a demon in my heart". Before the guitar kicks in and we are sent into a whole world of classic rock and roll as if we have been teleported back into the 70s.  His vocal performance on this album, just like the last is outstanding.

One thing which got me thinking about this album was the track listing and which tracks they chose to release as singles prior to this album coming out.  It feels like ages since first single "Demon" was released and each track they did release was good with "Jimmy 2 times" and the gentler, "Dream Alight" standing out.  But what makes me think about the choice of how the tracks are ordered is that the first five tracks on the album are the ones they released prior. So, when this album came out I thought to myself, I've heard the first 5 tracks already so I'll start from track 6.  May not seem like a big deal but in this day in age where every stream of track counts you want as many streams as possible surely you want to have not heard tracks mixed in with the already released ones so that folk listen to all of it.  Maybe I'm the only one that thinks like this though.  

In saying that I am back to listening to the first 5 tracks as I feel on the whole that these tracks are the best on the album so rightfully, they were released as singles.  Track 6 "Rolling" they went for a slightly longer song at over 6 minutes.  It’s an ok track and fits with the album but with longer tracks you always want them to be epic and although there is a guitar solo it is quite short in the context of the song.  It's clear though they have the talent to make better longer tracks.  As I say I think this album is quite front loaded with the best tracks but an exception to this is "Best Believe it" which could quite easily have been a single as its a complete whirlwind of a track. Great riff and again great vocals.

Overall, I really enjoyed this album. I would say its on a par with its debut.  There does seem to be quite a lot of rock bands coming through at the moment and I would say not only are The Dust Code up with them, they have the talent and potential to reach greater heights.

 

Black Honey - Written & Directed

 

"Written & Directed" is the second album by Brighton indie rock band Black Honey.  Having formed in 2014, they took the route of releasing singles and EPs before releasing their self-titled debut album in 2018.  "Written & Directed" dropped in late March 2021 and this is when I discovered them after a tip off from a mate.  The band consists of Izzy Baxter Phillips on vocals and guitar, Chris Ostler on guitar, Tommy Taylor on bass and Alex Woodward on drums.

I think the thing that grabs me the most about this album is the songs are just so catchy and infectious.  They are straight up 3 minute, in your face, indie rock goodness. I think the songs that stand out the most for me is when they have used brass instruments.  Using these have really given them an edge and made them stand out from the crowd and enhanced their sound.  This can be seen in songs like "Believer", "Beaches" and "Fire".  This is particularly noted on fire as the brass is like a riff in the chorus it really is amazing and is probably my favourite song on the album.

This album sits at 30 minutes and 10 songs long so some might argue that its a bit on the short side.  But I am finding that I listen to it because its 30 minutes. Sometimes I just like the fact, when I have not got time to listen to a longer album. I know I can put this album on and get the full experience in 30 minutes.  It's just nice to have that option as to be honest most albums I listen to are 40 minutes to an hour long.

I would say generally this is quite a feel-good album which will suit those who like standing gigs and like to move about while appreciating the music.  But at the same time its why I am slightly surprised and disappointed with the last track on the album "Gabrielle". As an album closer I realise maybe they wanted a soft acoustic track to finish the album.  For me though I think it would be better suited for a Katie Melua album such is the style of it.  It would fit in perfectly there.  But for this album I just want to keep those grooves going.

Overall though I would say this is a superb album and would only see the last track as a minor hiccup.   They have more than made up for it through the experience of listening to the rest of this album.  It's just feel-good music and Izzy's vocals are amazing.  Comparing her vocals to Katie Melua is a compliment of the highest order.  I think Black Honey are on the brink of something very exciting and I look forward to seeing if they can breakthrough even more.  This album went top 10 in the charts in its first week and long may that continue for future albums.