Ghost - IMPERA

 

"IMPERA" is the 5th album by Swedish rock/metal band Ghost.  They have always been quite a hard band to pigeonhole.  Many metal publications have listed Ghost very high up in end of year polls.  For example, Loudwire put "Square Hammer" as best song of the decade in 2019.  They have always dressed like a metal band in their outfits, but their music does lean to more rock territories.  But this is not classic rock either.  They seemed to have this operatic style, dramatic kind of rock which they have homed in over the years since their formation in 2006.

While the first 3 albums did well for them, they seem to be a band on a steady upward trajectory and 4th album "Prequelle" helped this tremendously.  This was my entry point to Ghost, and it was such a fulfilling album in every way.  It felt like they took all their musical know how and stringed everything together perfectly to make one of the best albums of 2018.  I don't often talk about every song on an album in a review, but I did for that one as really every song was a story worth talking about.

The reason I have focused on their history so far, particularly "Prequelle" is because I'm trying to emphasise just how high a bar, Ghost set themselves for this album "IMPERA".  Not just for themselves but fans eager to see to exactly if they could do it and to see for the band themselves.  As the singles came out, one by one, it was clear that the standard was still mighty high.  With "Hunter's Moon", "Call me little Sunshine" and "Twenties".  "Twenties" in particularly had a WOW factor about it with a short brass section coming in like in a Lord of the rings scene where there is about to be a big battle.  But all these songs are punchy, catchy and full of hooks.  So needless to say, it set expectations even higher for the album.

On my first few listens to the album, I kept thinking to myself, well this is just another Ghost album, it's not as good as "Prequelle" and nothing is better than "Square Hammer".  But as I kept listening to it more and more, I kept unlocking more and more and realised it is a completely different album to "Prequelle”.  For instance, "Prequelle" the average song length was 3-4 minutes with a few over 5 minutes.  This has 5 songs over 5 minutes with a couple over 6.  There are also 3 instrumental songs on this, first track "Imperium", "Dominion" and "Bite of Passage".  These are all short tracks lasting 30 seconds to just over a minute.  Rather than being interludes, I would say they are more set up tracks effortlessly gliding into the next track of the album.  "Dominion" is a notable one as it comes before "Twenties" so has brass on it leading into the brass intro of "Twenties".  There are no long instrumentals on this like the mesmerising "Misasma" from "Prequelle" but it seems more of conscious effort to make this album different.

Generally, there is such a feel-good vibe running through this album.  Singer Tobias Forge delivers vocals with such confidence and swagger signally a frontman at the very top of his game.  The longer tracks on the album compliment the shorter tracks so well and allow the songs to really breathe and for other members to let loose. Especially through the guitar solos on "Griftwood" and closer "Respite of the Spitalfields".  2nd track "Kaisaron" is a classic too and I wouldn't be surprised if "Spillways" is the next single.

Overall, this is another absolutely fantastic album by Ghost.  They were already playing arenas in the "Prequelle" tour and with this album they look to fill them even more as the word keeps spreading just how good they are and how they continue to keep pushing themselves further.

Plush - Plush

 

"Plush" is the self-titled debut album by American 4-piece rock group Plush.  I came across this band about a month ago when I saw that they were supporting Slash in the States.  I looked for more info on the band like I usually do on Wikipedia only to find another band called Plush from South Africa.  I wonder if this will cause an issue for them in the future.  

This band is quite unusual in a way that this is a rock band, and all members are female with Brooke Colucci on drums, lead guitarist Bella Perron, Ashley Suppa on bass and Moriah Formica on vocals and guitar.  Pre-Plush - Drummer Brooke made has had some success from posting her talents on social media while Moriah has appeared NBC's "The Voice" in America.  Amazingly these girls are all aged between 18-21 and when you hear this album you will discover why this is so amazing, these girls are seriously talented.  It is sad to talk about an all-girl rock group being unusual in 2022.  But, to me it feels like it is.  You may say HAIM fit the bill but even then, they still tour with a male drummer more often than not.  

There is a load of bands with female singers - Paramore, Wolf Alice, Halestorm and Evanescence to name a few.  But to have every instrument played by a woman is quite unusual.  Now from their ages and the fact that they are aged between 18-21, you may have guessed they are a very new band.  Their first single was out February 2021.  This band is far from big yet, but they are making some serious noise in the rock community. Having supported bands like Slash, Sevendust, Daughtry, Halestorm and Evanescence.  It doesn't look like they have reached European shores yet but that will no doubt be because of the pandemic and focusing on the States for starter.  But I think it's only a matter of time.

The reason I say this is because this is a very exciting debut album.  Every song has such strength and charisma.  And for a debut album they seem to have hit the jackpot with who they got to produce this as the production is noticeably fantastic.  What we have here are songs which were born for arenas as they are sing along rock anthems.  Singer Moriah has such a powerful voice.  I know I previously mentioned Halestorm and Evanescence who are global rock heavyweights these days.  But this album goes hand in hand with anything those two ever made. In fact, I would say better just going buy the fact I have never really got past the singles for those two bands.

"Hate" seems to be their biggest song to date as it's had far more plays on Spotify than the other 4 songs in their top 5, sitting at just over 1.3 million streams.  And it is a great punching rock track.  But the likes of "Champion" and "Athena" along with many others are just as good. It just seems they haven't had as much airplay.  I love "Sober" it's probably my favourite track on the album.  There are some more rock ballad type songs on here too, but you still find Moriah reaches those high notes on pretty much every song.  And if you can reach those notes then why not.  

Overall, this is an excellent debut album by a very exciting band.  They are clearly all very talented, and I feel the best is still to come. But with this album it's clear they have already set quite a high bar for themselves.  The music world in general needs a band like this and because of this hopefully they'll get the opportunities to grow and develop into a band we will still be talking about in 10-20 years’ time.

Muse - Drones

 

Drones is the 7th album by 3-piece rock juggernaut Muse.  This album was released back in 2015 and the "Drones" tour was my second time seeing the band.  This was the album that really got me back into Muse after what I thought at the time was two weaker albums in the form of "The Resistance" and "The 2nd Law".  However, after listening to these 2 albums recently my opinion has very much changed on both.  But does "Drones" still hit the heights I thought it used to?

Well, all I can say is absolutely yes.  With 5th and 6th albums; "The Resistance" and "The 2nd Law" they moved their sound into different territories and really experimented a bit with it still sounding like Muse.  Meanwhile "Drones" sees them back rocking and rocking really hard.  In fact, most Muse albums up until this point have the piano feature quite a bit.  But on "Drones" I can only detect it on bits of "Mercy" and "Globalisation".  

The main singles released from this album were "Dead Inside", "Psycho" and "Reapers".  While they all are of high quality. "Reapers" reaches places that go harder and more technical than I can remember Muse going before.  For me, it is their 2nd best song they have ever done behind "Citizen Erased" off "Origin of Symmetry".  The intro which kicks off with the magical drumbeat, before the guitar comes in and the song takes off.  And it takes you on such a rollercoaster for the duration of just under 6 minutes.

But the singles are only part of the story to this album.  "The Handler", "Defector" and "Revolt are also absolutely cracking rock songs.  While "Aftermath" is a dreamy spacey track, like "Explorers" off "The 2nd Law".  This also has some fine guitar work on it.  "Globalisation" is probably the biggest surprise of the album as it is the longest song they have ever done, sitting at 10 minutes.  Yes, they a 3 part track to finish off "The Resistance" and a 2 part song to finish off "The 2nd Law". But I think this is the longest single track.  And it is epic.  Seamlessly moves between sections, great singing, great guitar parts and a strong piano section.  The last track "Drones" is the only weak track on the album as it's just the guy’s harmonising.  It's not a very long track but personally I would rather them finish with "Globalisation".

Overall though it doesn't deter from the album's greatness.  I think it is a very underrated Muse album and I would put it just behind "Origin of Symmetry in my top Muse albums list.  

White Lies - As I Try Not To Fall Apart

 

"As I Try Not To Fall Apart" is the 6th album by UK indie alternative act White Lies.  I have been into this band right from when their debut album "To Lose My life" dropped in 2009.  I have always compared them to the likes of Interpol and Editors.  But I feel although those bands may have peaked slightly higher. In terms of consistency of output White Lies have outdone them both.  Another thing which sets them apart from these bands is their use of keyboards as well as guitars.  Put that on top of Harry McVeigh's unique vocals it does put them in a place in today's music scene which differentiates them.

The band released 4 singles prior to album release and while they are all brilliant.  I really feel they have delivered quite thought provoking and timely titles in the world we live in at the moment.  Let's look at them.  First the title track "As I Try Not To Fall Apart".   Now to me this song was born out of lockdowns during the pandemic and possibly an insight into the band's mental state either during the pandemic and/or recording this album.  I think everyone can relate to the struggles at some point.  But the lyrics are met with such a warm, uplifting melody it's like they have overcome these struggles and lifting themselves out of a hole.

Next track "Am I really going to die" is another quite impactful title again delivered with a warm melody.  Undoubtably something everyone thinks about at some point too.  For me though their best thoughts brought through by lyrics are on "I don't want to go to Mars".  Straight off the bat you know exactly what the song is about and it's pretty opinionated which is what I like about it.  Many bands express their views on politics and love etc through lyrics. But you don't often get opinions about random topics like going to mars that often. So, it is quite refreshing.  The chorus although serious is quite funny.  "I don't want to go to Mars, what kind of brainwashed idiot does?"  Don't hold back there Harry. lol.  And it's like that the whole song.  On Twitter every time they mention the song, they tag Elon Musk too who wants to send people to Mars which is the bands way of telling him it's a waste of time and money.

Plenty of other stuff going on in this album too. The highlight for me is "Roll December" which comes in around 7 minutes.  They did do a track on their last album called "Time to give" which was around 7 minutes too, but I think that's the only time they have done this.  "Roll December" is a great track.  While being long I wouldn't call it an epic or prog rock track.  It feels like they have taken a 5-minute track, then went, right, let's plug in the electric guitar and have a jam.  And because they don't do that often it feels special, and they pull it off magnificently.

Now, I normally get annoyed with bands who have penultimate tracks which sound like they are meant to close an album.  So, when I saw a track called "The End" being the second last track that did annoy me.  Then, however I went to Tim's Twitter listening party where they did a playback of the album and tweeted during it. It turns out they did this just for a laugh.  And suddenly, I saw the funny side too! Absolute genius.  "There is no cure for it" is the track that finishes off the album.  This is a great, edgier track which finishes the album well.  At the end it does finish very abruptly which leaves you thinking "That's that then!".

And overall, what a ride this album is.  It has grown on me each time I listen to it and keeps up that great consistency they have of delivering great albums time after time.  I haven't even mentioned the likes of "Blue drift", "Breathe", "Ragworm" and "Step outside".  But this is a complete album with no bad tracks.  One which you should be checking out.

Muse - The 2nd Law

 

"The 2nd Law" is the 6th album by UK rock group Muse.  This album was released in 2012 and a follow up to 2009's "The Resistance".  When the album dropped, I was aware of this album when it came out and was more than familiar with the main single off this album; "Madness".  But I never owned the album and never gave it a fair go at the time.  I think at the time I thought it wasn't worth listening to and I don't think it really got much praise from critics.

Having listened to this album quite a lot for the past few weeks I can see why this album may have not done as well as what came before.  While it still feels like a Muse album. They did go off in all sorts of directions in this album and although there are electric guitars present throughout the album, I would go as far as saying it doesn't really feel like a rock album they have made previously.  In "The Resistance" they went in a slightly more prog direction.  This album doesn't do that but does have experimental elements.  Even when you take the single "Madness”, it is a class track has a nice beat to it and good wee guitar solo. Slightly slower feel to it than normal.  Certainly not a heavy rock track.  The thing I remember the most about this track is the bass Chris uses as it is unique. It has this digital display above the strings on the main part of the bass where you pluck.  He then taps the digital display to create the sound.  And it is a dominant feature of the track which makes it stand out.

Next track "Panic Station" is totally opposite, it has a thumping bass line and is like a dance rock track. It's upbeat and has a great groove to it.  That's the thing about this album, it never stays in the one place and there are so many twists and turns throughout the album. It's clear that at this stage in their career, Muse still wanted to progress their sound and not sit on what had come before.  "Prelude" sees Matt back on the piano accompanied by a string section.  Another bow to Muse's string which enables them to make such eclectic albums.  

"Explorors" is track which is worth a mention.  I remember my dad used to go on about this track at the time as he thought it was absolutely brilliant. And it really is.  It's got a different song structure to normal. Kind of a build-up track to an extent without fully exploding to make a nice listening experience.  Another major twist on this album is "Save Me" and "Liquid State" which sit side by side where bassist Chris sings on both for as main vocalist. As far as I'm aware this was the first time up until this point in time, he has done this.  And it's great, he doesn't have the theatrical range in vocals like Matt, but he has this certain calmness and control which adds so much to the album.  I'm surprised the band never utilised him as a vocalist earlier.

In their 5th album "The Resistance" I labelled the finally to the album one of the best they have ever done to finish an album bar Knights of Cydonia. It was a 3-part prog classic.  On this album they went for more of the same but this time in two parts.  The first part "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable" starts quite dramatically and again utilises a string section.  Then it takes a turn and has all these cool effects and a women's voice as a voiceover.  The second part "The 2nd Law: Isolated System" has strong post rock vibes about it is a piano driven track. It's funny that a ton of bands do music purely like this second part and in some places do it better than Muse. But because Muse have those punchy rock, mainstream friendly tracks. Muse are the ones that get the recognition.  If you like this sort of track, you should really check out bands like Nordic Giants, it's what they do and they do it very well.

Overall, I think this is a really underrated album and I am so glad I went back to it and gave it the proper attention it deserves. This is Muse really experimenting with their sound and pushing their boundaries further than ever imaginable.