Top 10 songs of 2022

 Now time to unleash my top 10 songs for 2022. Also added them to a spotify playlist with an additional 10 songs. Last year I did top 10 songs under 5 minutes and top 10 songs over 5 minutes. But this year I didn't think or find as many good songs over 5 minutes hence just put them in one list.  But it was still a great year for music and top 10 albums will be coming next week.  Have a great Christmas folks :-)

1. Daylight by Shinedown

2. Bad Things by I Prevail

3. Bad Life by Sigrid & Bring Me the Horizon

4. The Steeple by Halestorm

5. This is Why by Paramore

6. Fable of the Silent Son by Alter Bridge

7. Foxglove by Boston Manor

8. Dignity by Porcupine Tree

9. I Don't want to go to Mars by White Lies

10. Just Pretend by Bad Omens

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4L8C5zAinVQ7xGtqY7M9Dh?si=peyDzQJrRjKFuZFTKfzSAw

Boston Manor - Datura

 

"Datura" is the fourth album by Blackpool alt rockers Boston Manor.  These guys were definitely my best find during lockdown.  With their previous album "Glue" being my favourite album of 2020.  Since then, they released a 5 track EP last year and now in 2022 we have an album.

But is "Datura" really an album?   Well, that's up for debate as it is only 7 tracks.  Of course, you do get albums with not many tracks but due to the length of tracks they can be longer than some albums with lots of tracks.  "Amarok" by Mike Oldfield for example, 1 track but 1 hour long.  But this album comes in at 26 minutes and usually I would say an album should be at least 30 minutes.  But in a Q and A I saw with the band they were absolutely adamant it was an album.  So, if they say so you just have to go along with it.  One thing this does affect though is pricing as EPs really should be cheaper than albums as they have less music.  So maybe hear they are calling an album as well so they can sell for more.  And in these times, I wouldn't even argue with that as bands really need any help, they can get at the moment to keep going financially. So, if calling it an album means they can get more for it, you have to support it.

The other aspect of saying wait a minute, it's only 7 tracks, is that all you are going to give me?  Here you really have to zoom out and look at the bigger picture with Boston Manor.  They have released albums in 2016, 2018 and 2020.  Then released a 5 track EP in 2021.  There are many bands you don't hear from for years but here are Boston Manor giving you over 20 tracks in a 2-year period.  And in a way as well I think what they are doing is actually genius.  Many bands release long albums and then don't get to play many songs live from albums because they have too much to choose from.  Whereas as with Boston Manor, even though they still have loads of tunes to choose from. By doing shorter albums they can put a larger percentage of the EP and "Datura" into their set lists as they tour after each release.

So yeah, I think they did the right thing by releasing this as a 7-track album.  But what about the music I hear you say?  Well, the first couple of singles that came from "Datura" came in the form of "Foxglove" and "Passenger", both anthemic, rocking, singalong and just outstanding singles to kick off and really get any crowd bouncing.  Next single "Inertia" was the slower more downbeat track which takes you on a mesmerising journey.  I noted when this came out that it was the single version and was 4 minutes long.  So, I was highly anticipating the full-length version when coming to listen to the full album.  This is the last track of the album and to be honest I did feel a bit let down by it.  Don't get me wrong, they didn't ruin the song or the album.   But I felt this could have been turned into a truly epic, longer track.  Instead, what we got was the same as the single version then the last 2 minutes are kind of some random noises which don't really add to the song.  

"Crocus" was a last-minute single before the album dropped and that is another class tune.  Then moving onto the other tracks on the album.  Title track kicks off the album and has quite a moody feel about it and links in well with 2nd track "Floodlights on the square" which is where BM step it up a gear and the album bursts into life.  Momentum keeps going with "Foxglove", "Passenger and "Crocus".  Then the album takes an unexpected turn with "Shelter from the rain" as this is a purely instrumental track.  This is not trying to be anything big or outlandish.  More trying to create that moody, atmospheric vibe.  There is not a lot to it but it’s still an ok track.  I can't see it being on the set list but it's good to see them trying to mix things up a bit and try new things.  "Inertia" brings the album to a close.

Overall, I think the singles on this album stand shoulder to shoulder with the best tracks they have ever done. They have tried different things with this album and time will tell to see if it works in their favour.  It gives people something to talk about which is important for bands and overall, the album has really grown on me.  This is just part 1 of a 2-part project so it will be interesting to hear the other side of the album.  I am particularly intrigued to see if the end of "Inertia" makes more sense and links up with part 2 of the project.

13/02/22 – Boston Manor @ The Garage, Glasgow

 I think this gig was meant to go ahead following the release of Boston’s 3^rd album Glue in late 2020.  It has been rescheduled at least twice since but finally it was good to go here in 2022.  Due to the early curfew in The Garage the doors opened at 6.30pm and first band Jools took to the stage at 7pm for a half an hour set.  Jools are a 7-piece rock act from Leciester who formed in 2019. They are signed to These bloody Thieves record label and have released four singles.  I thought the music was pretty solid and the band was pretty tight.  But the vocals for me were delivered in talking style fashion rather than actually singing.  This is something that does seem to be “in” at the moment but it's not really for me.  In saying that the lead singer had everything else, the rock looks, the confidence and the charisma. 

The singer did say he had a dodgy voice but when I heard the songs on Spotify in the car on the way home it didn’t sound much different.  The set did take an unexpected turn though before the start of the penultimate track. Where the singer introduced Kate Price who is the bands lyricist. She then did a speech on how women should be allowed to walk home after a night out and feel safe. It was very powerful and captivated the audience.  She was absolutely right what she was staying. Whether you loved or hated this band, they made an impact and for a support band where you want people to remember you, that is exactly what they did so good on them and I wish them all the best.  She then stayed on the stage for the last 2 songs and shared vocal duty.

The next band, Movements got a slightly longer set, sitting at 40 minutes. These guys are American, and I did wonder whether they would be ok to come over with quite a few bands cancelling gigs over here. But they came over and I am glad they did. I have been a fan of theirs since their debut album “Feel Something” came out in 2017.  Now they have 2 full length studio albums out with “No good left to give” coming out in 2020.  As the Boston Manor and Movements mentioned, these guys are actually good friends and when over in the states where Movements are bigger, Movements headline and Boston Manor support.  If you look on Spotify Movements top streamed track has 28 million streams whereas Boston Manor’s most streamed track “Halo” has 15 million.  So, for fans of both it was basically a joint headliner such was the quality of the music.  And Movements were awesome and I reckon won a lot of new fans tonight.

Ever since 3^rd album “Glue” came out, Boston Manor have been one of my favourite bands during the course of the pandemic and it was so great to see them live.  The set list was almost evenly spread across their three full length albums and their latest EP, “Desperate times, Desperate Pleasures”.  As good as the EP is it would have been great to hear more off “Glue” where they played 5 tracks.  I say it was my favourite album in 2020. I think when you leave a gig and you start saying which songs they didn’t play; this is a sign that the band has built up a really good discography. 

The choice of songs from “Glue” was interesting playing “Everything is Ordinary” which started the set, “Class war”, “Plasticine Dreams”, “Liquid” and “On a high ledge”. Its almost the approach they took was to choose different types of song. Rather than going for one particular type.  This meant songs like “Rat king”, “Brand new kids”, “0s & 1s” and “Only1” were excluded.  Maybe one day they’ll do this album in full in tour as that’s how good an album it is and what it deserves.

I was delighted they played “Bad Machine” and “England’s Dreaming” off “Welcome to the neighbourhood”. Those songs are great live. They also dipped into their first album a bit too.  The crowd was really up for it and the boys were really excited to be back playing.  There were a few technical glitches. The end of “On a high ledge” it felt something was a bit off and then they had a delay starting “Let them in” due to guitar problems.  It was a surprise not to hear “Algorithm” off the new EP but again shows the depth of their catalogue.

Overall, this was an absolutely fantastic gig. So glad I got to see Boston Manor and Movements under the one roof. I wouldn’t go and see Jools as a headline act but would be quite happy if they were supporting an act I liked as they have such an important message to share and I hope other up and coming bands take note.

Photos by Campbell Hunter

Boston Manor - Desperate times, Desperate Pleasures EP

 I have been in two minds whether to review the latest EP by Boston Manor - Desperate Times, Desperate Pleasures.  I got into the band in 2020 through finding an EP on Spotify called "Plasticine Dreams" which had 5 tracks on it.  It was unbelievably good, and I only had to wait a month for their next album "Glue" to come out.  This contained all of the tracks released on the EP.  It was on that day I learned that when artists release songs on Spotify in the build up to an album it ends up calling itself an EP even when it’s really getting people exposure to the next album.  

For "Desperate times, Desperate Pleasures" though it is looking more and more like this is a standalone EP. One of the reasons for this is because it did get released on tape and also it has been out a fair while now with no proper announcement for an album yet.  So hopefully next thing we'll here from Boston Manor is a new album announcement with unreleased music. Fingers crossed!  So what do we have with this EP.  Well, I think the songs on here are a lot more straight up and simpler than songs on their last album "Glue". "Glue" went in all sorts of directions and the structures of the songs felt so ambitious and imaginative.  Overall, it was my top album of 2020 because of this.

"Carbon Mono" was the first single released off this EP and it rocks hard.  It's definitely one of those songs which has grown on me over time.  "Algorithm" was next and this has probably been one of my most played songs of last year.  Again, it feels really simple but it’s so effective.  Even when you look at the vocal performance. He doesn't really seem to fully stretch his vocals through most of the song.  But after the bridge he takes it up a gear and it just makes the song so wonderful. The bridge on here and the climb out of it is my favourite part of the whole EP.  It just strips back to the vocals and single guitar. Then everything else gradually comes back in for a thundering finish.

You can tell the EP was recorded during the pandemic as the overall feel of the EP is quite gloomy and downbeat.  You don't really need a private investigator to work it out. Songs like "I don't like people (&They don't like me)" kind of give the game away instantly.  That song also starts with "I haven't left my bedroom, for 16 days, and i don't see why I would do, when everything is so grey". I think in this EP they capture the mood of the nation through these troubled times and a lot can relate.

The title track "Desperate times, Desperate Pleasures" is another rocker.  I have noticed that Boston Manor are good at finding well known sayings and integrating them into their lyrics seamlessly.  "Bad Machine" being a good example of this from their second album.  "Let the right one in" is the last song on the EP and it’s a slower moving one but has just as much oomph and grandeur as the other songs.  

Overall, this is a fantastic EP which is looking like a stop gap as they make a new album which I am looking forward to tremendously.

Boston Manor - Glue

"Glue" is the third studio album by English rockers from Blackpool "Boston Manor". I only found this band last month as I was listening to new releases playlist on Spotify and came across "Plasticine Dream". I then found out this track was on a 5 track EP which was released in early April 2020.  I then found out that "Glue" was due to be out the very next month. I did wonder if it was going to be all different tracks on the album to the EP. But as it happens all the tracks on the EP are on the album and very much form the backbone of the album. But is the EP a good indicator of what the album is like?  In two words "HELL NO".  And this has turned out to be a very, very good thing.

Boston Manor's first album "Be Nothing" was very much a punk record.  I haven't had a full chance to really go in depth with this album yet. Second album "Welcome to the neighbourhood" however I have investigated further and is a great record. All the songs have the same kind of tone and its a very powerful rock record. With "Glue" though it really feels like they have taken another step up and evolved even more.  It is undoubtedly their most ambitious album to date and probably the most diverse album I have listened to since Bring me the Horizon brought out "Amo" last year. Boston Manor have said this was a difficult album to make and to me I am not surprised. They really have challenged themselves and that in turn is very refreshing.

The album kicks off with "Everything is ordinary" and it starts off like you are getting strapped into a rollercoaster with a gentle intro. Then bang! Its zero to 60 in seconds. It just takes off and to me the rollercoaster is a perfect analogy for the album. It has so much energy an passion running through it.  I think one thing which stands out is the variation of vocals on this album. Henry Cox shows off in a way the previous 2 albums don't, just how good a singer he really is and how he has such a great vocal range. I would say his finest point is in "Stuck in the mud" where his vocals really do soar in a fine power ballad type track.  Then in complete contrast you've got the youthful aggression on tracks like "1's & 0's" and "You, Me & the class war".  These types of vocal performances are so far removed from the first 2 albums and again shows how they are trying to do things differently and progress as a band. But take nothing away from the first 2 albums as they are solid records.

I would say there are 3 tracks on the album that are more mainstream rock. In the form of "Plasticine Dream", "Brand New Kids" and "Rat King".  These are anthems in every possible way. But even then they are making these tracks "Boston Manor tracks" rather than imitations.  Yes its clear the band have musical influences and in interviews they have even mentioned bands they are influenced by such as Nine inch nails and Radiohead.  But what band doesn't have influences. There is nothing wrong with it.  Even a straight up track like "Plasticine Dream" they are trying to do things differently as Cox puts more vocal emphasis on the versus than the choruses. And it works brilliantly. "Only1" which at the time of writing is my favourite track on the album. Does this trick to an even greater extreme.

Overall this is an absolutely fantastic album. Each track is like delving into a different world.  They have pushed themselves further than ever before.  On paper it seems like a very risky project and could have quite easily become a mishmash of songs. But these 13 tracks work well together and like a roller coaster there are so many twists and turns, ups and downs on the album.  And by the end you are thinking. What a ride...…..Now can we go again. Hell yes.