Shinedown - Planet Zero

 

"Planet Zero" is the 7th album by Floridian 4-piece Shinedown.  I discovered Shinedown prior to their 6th album "Attention, Attention" coming out, which was released back in 2018.  I enjoyed most of their albums.  The first two albums I would describe as being good in patches.  But from a sales point of view those 2 albums did launch them pretty quickly into being a pretty successful band.  But to me it is clear that the change in line up which occurred prior to their 3rd album "Sound of Madness" coming out, really made them reach that next level.  That line-up has seen them now through another 5 albums including "Planet Zero" in the form of Brent Smith on vocals, Zach Myers on guitar, Eric Bass on bass and Barry Kerch on drums.

I think the thing which struck me the most when this album was released was to find it was a 20-track album.  This is not completely unusual in the industry at the moment.  Kula Shaker, The Coral and The 1975 have all released albums in the last couple of years which are round about 20 tracks, and they are all good albums.  But when I hear of albums having this many tracks, I do wonder how digestible the album will be in a sitting.  Thing is though that although Shinedown haven't released a 20-track core album before.  They have often released deluxe editions of albums which can have at least 20 tracks on them.  

This time however, the reason for "Planet Zero" being 20 tracks is quite different as 7 of the tracks are more interludes.  It's as if these tracks are from some 1980's sci-fi movie with a robotic female voiceover sending out powerful messages on the state of the planet, social media usage and mental health, to a synth driven backing track.  This is something Shinedown have never done before and shows great creativity on their part.

So, this means it is in effect a 13 track album and what an absolute roller-coaster this rock outfit take you on. There are plenty of all out rockers on this, that will keep fans bouncing and singing along at their much-loved live shows.  "Planet Zero" was the first single taken from the album and it is the epitome of this. The next single "The Saints of Violence and Innuendo" has my favourite riff of the album.  It just feels so different and fresh.  "Clueless and Dramatic", "No sleep tonight" and "Army of the Undepreciated" are some more absolute bangers.  The drumming in "No sleep tonight" should be highlighted in particularly as it is so ferocious and lifts the song up so much.

There is one song on here which the band say, "is the most important song they have ever done" and that song is the 3rd single "Daylight".  I remember the hype when Coldplay released "Fix you" and it is still one of Coldplay's biggest songs even though it was released in 2005.  I can see similarities in the songs, both piano driven, both have a deep meaning that everyone can relate to.  They both really strike a chord and are sung so powerfully.  To me "Daylight" is in the same league of greatness as "Fix You". That is how good it is. Coldplay were three albums deep into their career when they wrote that. Shinedown are 7 and they are clearly a band who are still ascending in terms of quality they are producing even though they have been creating great albums for over 20 years now.

There is a lot of lyrics that hit home in "Daylight". But I think the main one is the chorus as Brent sings "It's amazing what the hard times can reveal, like who shows up, who walks away and who’s for real".  Everyone goes through hard times, and I don't think there is a single person who can't relate to that line.  But I think this song as well just sums up Shinedown.  They are much more than just your average band.  They have a purpose.  A lot of people call music their therapy.  But if you go to a Shinedown show it's like the best counselling you will ever get.  The positivity and words of wisdom Brent speaks mixed with top notch tunes is something which makes them a truly unique and great band.  And now this is really summed up through "Daylight" what they are all about.

Overall, like any album there are songs which stand out and float to the top as it were.  But there are no bad songs on this album, and each have their rightful place.  People talk about streaks artists go on in making good albums.  For me this makes 5 for Shinedown.  The only band I can think of that's done better than this is Alter Bridge with 7.  This is how good Shinedown are and how good "Planet Zero" is.  

Porcupine Tree - Closure/Continuation

 

"Closure/Continuation" is the 11th album by UK prog rock gods Porcupine Tree.  This is the album many thoughts would never happen due to the band going their separate ways in 2010 following the release of their 10th album "The Incident" in 2009.    Steven Wilson has seen his solo career take off, to the point where some thought he would never go back to Porcupine Tree.  He has also been involved with his other bands; Blackfield and No Man while remastering many albums by some big-name artists.  The two other members of the band to appear on this album were drummer Gavin Harrison, who has a writing credit on most of the tracks and Richard Barbieri on keyboards and synths who also gets writing credits on a few tracks.  The bassist Colin Edwin does not appear on this album as Steven Wilson lost contact with him, so Wilson plays bass on the album too as well as vocals, guitar and piano.

Porcupine Tree ended the 2000s as perhaps one of the biggest modern day prog bands on the planet, alongside American prog rock band The Mars Volta.  It's interesting they have both reformed in 2022, with Porcupine Tree releasing this album; and at time of writing The Mars Volta have just released a new single and are going on tour, and it's looking like a new album to follow.  You do wonder if this will be the catalyst for a resurgence in progressive rock music which feels like it has faded away a bit, despite Wilson holding the flag with some of his solo stuff. As he moved in other directions it has felt like there has been a bit of a void left.

But what about this album "Closure/Continuation", was it worth the wait? as the album title suggests did, they pick up where they left off?  When I first heard the first single "Harridan" I was quite excited. I mean it’s 8 minutes long. Exactly what you want from a prog band - a nice long song.  But when I heard it, I felt like I needed to adjust to Porcupine Tree again as I haven't really listened to them for such a long time.  I have been following Steven Wilson's solo career though and album by album, he seems to be pushing and evolving his sound even more. And with his latest solo album which was released last year "The Future Bites" it feels quite far removed from a Porcupine Tree album. And I loved it.  So, moving back to Porcupine Tree has taken a bit of adjustment and once I managed this, I now really appreciate this new album for what it is.  And that is Porcupine Tree doing what they do best.  It's not trying to be anything else than a PT album and the band are very much staying true to their sound.

That's the thing with their sound though, within the band's universe there is a varied musical landscape to behold.  There’re dark heavy moments through the likes of "Harridan" and "Rats Return", then you have "Walk the plank" which is a much lighter track which is quite a unique song as it doesn't actually feature any guitars, instead having synths and effects.  "Of the New day" is also soft ballad till about halfway through where the song builds with some amazing guitar work.  It seems Wilson has focused quite a bit on how songs finish, making them unique and emphatic.  "Herd Calling" is another one like this. The twist with this one is that there is a false finish then everyone really goes for it to end the song on a total high.  

When I went to see Porcupine Tree for the first time, back in 1999, having never heard their music before.  The thing I will always remember from that night is their ability to go between quiet and loud moments in the blink of an eye.  Obviously not all Porcupine Tree tracks do this, but there are a fair few and they create such dramatic and memorable moments when played live.  This album also creates these moments and they have created these moments in different ways, so the songs are still fresh and unique.  "Herd Calling" is perhaps the best example of this but there are various other songs on this album which create that quiet/loud magic.

There are a lot of bands out there who known for having an epic track on an album.  One which stands out because of its length and the way the song is so good and memorable maybe because of a winding guitar solo and how the song builds to a climax.  I'm thinking of Led Zeppelin’s "Stairway to Heaven", Alter Bridge's "Blackbird" or Guns N Roses "November Rain" and there are many more.  Now I know these bands will have more songs of plus 7 minutes but often these are there are only one or two tracks off an album of that length.  On "Closure" you have 4 tracks out of 7 of songs between 7 and 9 minutes of length.  This is the sign of a prog album in its truest sense.  And I think it's the reason this album has done so well. In a world where song length seems to be decreasing in rock.  Even look at The Mars Volta.  The latest track they released is an 11-minute song. But they have only released the 3-minute version on Spotify as far.  It just shows how bands are thinking about the changing music market. Porcupine Tree seem like they are trying to stay true to themselves though and it seems to have worked.

But out of these 4 longer tracks is there a standout?  I would say yes, but at the same time having 4 longer tracks means I wouldn't tag it epic as having 4 tracks of this length on the album. It feels like they have normalised having long songs on the album and something they have done throughout their career.  But the song I like the most on this album is track 4 "Dignity".  This song is absolutely breath-taking.  I reviewed a little-known band called The Fallen State earlier this year and complimented the singer on the variations of singing throughout the song "Mirror".  And I must say Wilson's singing hear, totally trumps it.  The changes in tempo, the control he has over his voice is mesmerising.  The song has such a lush melody and a nice and simple guitar solo which is so wonderful. At the moment it's a contender for song of the year for me.

Overall. "Closure/Continuation" is a total triumph.  Not only for the band but for prog music generally.  Many bands would take a minute off a song in this album and loop it to make a full song. Such is the creativity in this band, the songs move in all kinds of directions while being so easily accessible for the listener.  So yeah, they really have continued where they left off.

21/06/2022 - Tremonti @ SWG3 Galvanizers Yard, Glasgow

This was the third time I have seen Tremonti.  The first two times were during the "A Dying Machine" tour, one in Glasgow, the other in Edinburgh.  This gig was originally scheduled for January 2022 but due to covid still be an issue the gig was postponed to the summer to coincide with his UK and European festival dates.  One of which was Download festival near Derby, and Tremonti was playing at that. I was meant to go to but sadly had to drop out.  But luckily this gig was a week after so I would get a much-needed live music fix having not gone to a gig since April and I think it's been 4 years since I have seen Tremonti.

4 of the gig gang were out tonight with Campbell, Craig, Brian and me.  We got some pizza then sauntered down to SWG3.  No queues to get in.  When we did get in the only support for the night, Hawxx, were in full swing and the venue was already pretty much full. This is always nice to see that people turn up and give the support a chance.  Hawxx are an all-female band and fitted the bill perfectly with their brand of hard rock.  A nice start to the evening.

Due to a 10pm curfew at SWG3 we didn't have to wait long for Tremonti to come on and they did that at 8.20pm.  The first 2 tracks they played, "Thrown Further" and "Not for you" taken from their latest album "Marching in Time".  "Thrown Further" has, in my opinion, the best guitar solo off that album so a great way to start the set.  The band went on to play 4 more songs from "Marching in Time". Meaning they played 6 tracks off it all together meaning this is the album they focused on the most through the duration of the set.  It's often tempting for bands who have released so many albums, and in this case Tremonti have released 5, to play all the hits from their previous albums and not play as many from their new album; But it just shows you the strength of the new album as it really is great.

Every album was represented tonight though and it was good to hear all the classics.  Their was one point where I turned to my buddies noting they hadn't played anything from "A Dying machine" yet, only for them to then launch into the title track much to their amusement (and mine :-) ).  I have to say I really enjoyed the set.  They are such talented musicians and the songs sound so good live.  There is always an exception to this, and I will try and not dwell on it too long. I'm still not a fan of "Flying Monkeys" which is the only song tonight I'm not a fan of. But to make up for it, someone brought what I think was an inflatable monkey which Mark noticed.  He then insisted it got thrown around during the song and then got it returned to the owner at the end of the song.  Which did distract me enough when they were playing the song so all good :-D.

They played a 19-song set without an encore which Mark said was the longest set they had ever played.  It did make the night special, and I think everyone in the room felt honoured that they did this in Glasgow.  My favourite songs from the night were "Marching in Time" and "Dust". I just love the guitar work in each.  "Marching in time" is a bit longer than other tracks they have done, and "Dust" is a slightly slower track which is epic in its own right.

The night finished with "Wish you well" and Mark talked about his recent Frank Sinatra covers album which is for a down syndrome charity.  Great album and much respect to Mark for doing this.  I think now I can really feel like a true Tremonti fan.  When you are pretty much happy with the setlist, and then there are so many songs you wish were on it. It just shows the depth they have in their catologue, how much I like them and how good they are.

Until next time..........

Photos by Campbell Hunter

The Music - Welcome to the North

 "Welcome to the North" is the second album by UK alternative rock outfit The Music.  Released in 2005 "Welcome to the North" represents that difficult second album. Following the success drawn from their self-titled debut album which really did make the Music a household name in the UK indie scene.  The album itself was flawless from start to finish and their live show just took the songs and their reputation to the next level.  No artist at that time was doing what they were doing as good as they were doing it.

But how would they follow it up?  Well, it was much debated at the time as I think many expected a carbon copy of the first album.  And while the core sound of The Music is still very much here.  They did very much push the boundaries of their sound further with this album which I think is really what led to the debate.  One thing I really notice on this album is the drumming performance by Phil Jordan as I think it's phenomenal.  The three tracks in particular, where the drumming really makes the tracks are "Cessation", "Bleedin from within" and "Open your mind".

"Cessation" is notable for the sheer ferocity of the drumming, it's like he's moving his arms at 100mph.  I remember at the time this album came out Phil said an interview he is scared to play it live due to how exhausting it is.  But it is what makes the song so great.  "Bleedin’ from within" is a landmark song from the band and probably the most memorable song they play live.  It is one of their longest songs, maybe even the longest, sitting at over 6 and half minutes.  But the reason why this song is so memorable live is because during a bridge later on, in the track each member has their own drum and are all playing at the same time. They used to pull this off amazingly live and the rest of the track is great too.  Then there is album closer "Open your mind" where the drumming makes the song sound absolutely massive and epic.  It's a great way to close an album and Rob Harvey's vocals on this are also excellent.

I've talked about three brilliant tracks on this album already and none were actually singles.  The first single taken from this album was "Freedom Fighters".  And you know when you have a favourite band or just any band you like, there is always one song at least which you feel is a let-down and doesn't give you the same buzz as the other tracks by them. Well, "Freedom Fighters" is that song for me.  Now thing it is a decent song.  But that's it. It just feels like such a generic song from a band who we know are capable of so much more and proved this both on their debut and even more so through other tracks on this album.  "Welcome to the North" was another single which was much better.  I thought this may become an anthem for the people who live in the north of England, but it never seemed to turn out that way despite how good the song is.

The final single taken from this album was "Breakin".  Another all-out rocking dance track with a great groove to it.  Much like album track "I Need Love" which has a great riff thanks to Adam Nutter.  There is also a lighter side to this album which is seen through tracks 6-8 which are much different compared to anything on the first album.  Most notably "Fight the Feeling" is arguably the slowest track they have ever done and is predominantly an acoustic track which has a gradual climb on the electric guitar at the end.  Then there is the one two punch of "Guide" and "Into the Night" which really are absolutely magnificent.  These tracks show the depth of talent the band has.  They want to make every song great on an album. Not just a few good singles.  

Overall, I still think The Music's debut album is their best.  But this is still an absolute belter of an album which I think didn't really get the recognition it deserved at the time.  But I think that's because the singles were slightly weaker this time round especially compared to their debut.  But for those who did get their ears round the rest of the album they were well and truly rewarded with a load of wonderful tracks.

The Music - The Music

This is a flashback review of The Music's self-titled debut album which was released back in 2002.  The Music comprise of Rob Harvey on vocals and guitar, Adam Nutter on guitar, Stuart Coleman on bass and Phil Jordan on drums.  So why a review of this album now? Well, the band have recently come back into the limelight in 2021/2022. The trigger was that they did a listening party on twitter in 2021 thanks to Tim Burgees of The Charlatans which is coined Tim's twitter listening party.  Basically, he gets everyone to listen to an album at the same time and bands and fans tweet about their memories and thoughts of the album.  Due to the success of The Music doing the listening party and band feeling the reaction from the fans. They have played two reunion gigs, one in Glasgow and a major hometown show in Leeds just last week.

So that spurred me to go back myself and listen to the albums again and review them.  I did review their 3rd album "Strength in Numbers" at the time, but the first two albums were before my days of reviewing.  But let's go back a step first and I'll tell you how I got into The Music.  I remember listening to Radio 1's evening session which must have been around 2000/2001 and he played their debut single "Take the Long road and walk it" for the first time on national radio.  I thought it was amazing, but I missed the name of the track. So, I emailed Steve, I didn't get a response, but he played the track the next night too and I got the name of it.  They released the single on 7inch was limited to 1000 copies.  I went to Virgin in Glasgow for opening the day it came out, but they had no copies and neither did Avalanche which is now called Love Music.

But later I discovered that the single was released in Europe in CD format which I managed to get hold of on Amazon.  I think it must be quite rare.  On the single it had "Take the long road and walk it" and the instrumental track "The Walls get smaller" which is also excellent.  Instead of releasing more singles and then releasing an album.  The Music went down the EP route and released "You might as well try to (rude word) me EP and then The People EP.  From those EPs "Too High" and "The People" made it on to the debut album.  But I should note these EPs are awesome and the fact they only put 2 tracks out of 8 songs over the EPs on the debut album shows just how good the album was going to be.

And the album was released in 2002 and debuted at number 4 in the UK charts.  This album propelled them into being a very decent sized band and my favourite band for many years to come, till the release cycle of Strength in Numbers came to an end and their eventual split in 2011.  There was something about them which made them really stand out.  The music they made was basically rock music you could dance to.  But not like waltzes or how you would dance to pop music.  This was dancing away which was completely carefree to the point you would completely lose yourself in the music. It was that good and I found myself in that situation in the many times I have been to see them play live.

On the album itself there is not one bad track and there is a finally tuned balance between the slower tracks and the more up-tempo tracks and those that go between the two.  The singles were all singalong, rocking, monsters of tracks.  "Take the Long Road and Walk it", "The People", "The Getaway" and "The truth is no words".  All taking their own journey in terms of sounding different but all reaching the same destination in sounding absolutely mega.  My personal favourite and it remains my favourite The Music song is "The People".  The intro, the riff, Rob's vocal performance; All completely on point and the chorus is just so infectious and catchy.

Many albums rely on their singles to prop them up and to get those sales and the rest can often be filler. But not The Music.  They use it as an opportunity to flex their musical muscle.  Songs like "Human" and "Turn off the light" are slightly longer tracks which build up to climaxes more as the songs go on.  "Float" is probably my favourite deep cut, particularly later in the track as it goes into frenzied chaos and totally cuts off at the end of the track before floating into "Turn off the light".  "The Dance" I wouldn't call an anthem as it doesn't have the catchiest chorus but being the first track on the album it does give a sign of things to come.  "Disco" is another one which is a slow burner, but the chorus and the swaggering riff is truly breath-taking.  

Final track "Too high" is an epic way to finish the album and really does tell the story of how they got to the point of releasing the album.  Through the lyrics "Too hard, too high, too hard to climb" Rob tells the story of how people would tell the band that making it in the music industry was too hard and they shouldn't bother.  Well, they sure showed the nae sayers that's for sure.  This song for me showed off Adam Nutter's guitar work at his finest.  Those who listen to this album on streaming services will be like, hang on "Too High" is not the last track, "New instrumental" is.  But this is a bonus track.  In fact, when listening to this on CD. To listen to it you have to go to track 1 and rewind it so that it is negative time.  This track as you guessed it, is purely instrumental.  Probably one of their weaker tracks as it is a bit too repetitive and long for me but that's just because The Music set themselves such a high bar of quality. Occasionally you're going to get some which slip through.

Overall, this is still one of my all-time favourite albums.  It was a landmark album in my life and really all that's left to be said is thank you to The Music for the music.  

 

Sigrid - How To Let Go

 "How to let go" is the 2nd album by 25-year-old, pop sensation Sigrid.  I've been following this Norwegian sensation she released her debut album, "Sucker Punch" back in 2019.  That was a fun filled album and propelled her into mainstream stardom which led to multiple festival appearances and millions of streams in streaming services.  It was a well-balanced album, with those wonderful feel good, up-tempo songs mixed with the slower more reflective songs. 

And really with "How to let go" she has continued where she has left off and delivered a fine, wonderful album with a cross section of songs which really work well together.  Singles "Mirror" and "Burning Bridges" are those upbeat pop tracks which will stand side by side in quality to the likes of "Strangers" and "Don't feel like crying" off her first album.  She has this swagger, carefree notion about her and it really comes across with songs like these.

The opening track "It gets dark" and "Thank me later" are other tracks which fit this mould.  I would say the most notable track on the album though is the collaboration with Bring me the Horizon.  Bring me the Horizon and especially their lead singer Oli Sykes are currently one of the most talked about bands in the world due to the quality of their albums and their every growing list of major acts who they are collaborating with.  And Sigrid has now been added to that list with the song "Bad Life".  This is an incredibly moving and emotional track which everyone can relate to, with the chorus "It's just a bad day, not a bad life".  The chorus turns that frown upside down and offers hope and the way the song builds along with Oli and Sigrid taking turns on vocals really does make this the standout song on the album.  And the reality is, this is an unusual collaboration between the Kings of metal and princess of pop, which amazingly, works so well.

There are other tracks on here which see Sigrid take a slower, more ambient approach.  For example, following "Bad Life" is the acoustic "Grow" giving a more chill out vibe.  Then closer "High note" which is a nice ballad to finish the album with.  It also has the fitting lyrics for an album to finish on "When I go, I wanna finish on a high note" and it certainly does that.  In "Dancer" the keyboards are brought out in another track which again is a slower track but one which sees Sigrid's vocals soar.

Overall, this is another very good album by Sigrid which is very much a continuation of where she left off from "Sucker Punch".  She has proven here that her first album wasn't a fluke, and she is no one album wonder.  It will be interesting to see where she goes from this.  She almost has a formula now, particularly for the upbeat tracks which I think she could continue to get the success from, or maybe it's time to explore new avenues in her sound and maybe collaborate again which is something she pulled off so well on this album.

Mark Tremonti - Mark Tremonti Sings Frank Sinatra

 "Mark Tremonti Sings Frank Sinatra" is the debut album by Mark Tremonti. So many things about writing that first sentence seem so weird.  First of all, talking about this being the debut album of a man who has been in the music industry for over 25 years.  Known really for being one of the greatest guitarists of all time through being in Creed, Alter Bridge and Tremonti.  And being in Tremonti which you could argue is his solo project but at the end of the day it is a band rather than him going solo really.  Whereas this project is under his name so that's why I'm calling it his debut album.

Many bands start their journey in music by playing covers.  Even established bands will maybe fit the odd cover into their albums, either as part of the album or as a bonus track.   Think Shinedown who covered "Simple Man" which is perhaps even more famous than the original.  Bands playing live will also fit covers into their sets. Radio one live lounge you basically need to do a cover as it's expected.  Many artists will cover songs in the same genre or what's popular at that time.  

But Mark here to my knowledge has never really dabbled outside of the rock and metal genre before.  In Creed and Alter Bridge his main focus was the guitar.  In Alter Bridge he did have some sections where he would sing in songs in the first couple of albums.  On "Fortress" and "Walking the Sky" he had one track on each where he would sing.  Then in Tremonti where the band’s first album came out in 2012 and have released 5 albums to date, he is the lead vocalist and lead gutarist.   From interviews though he says he has had no formal vocal training, until now.

"Mark Tremonti sings Frank Sinatra" is an album which has been years in the making.  This is not a karaoke effort; this is not a cash grab album where he has run out of ideas elsewhere so needed something fresh to stay relevant.  This is somebody who clearly loves Frank Sinatra.  And has put so much into discovering his music and has looked into every avenue to see how to sing the way Frank did.  Which is a very tall order.

The result is something absolutely magical.  14 tracks with Frank's band playing and Mark's vocal performance is really, really something else.  You can tell he spent a lot of time getting this right.  In projects like this sometimes you need a drive and reason for doing this and Mark to his credit is using the profits made from this album as a fundraiser for a down syndrome charity; a condition his daughter has.

In terms of the journey, I have had with this album it's been a ride.  When the first song came out, I actually thought, why am I listening to this and not Frank Sinatra.  So, all of a sudden, I spent the next week listening to Frank Sinatra.  Then I went back to listening to rock.  But when this album came out all of a sudden, I have had it on quite a few times now.  It's just really easy to listen to and is a refreshing change to what I usually listen to.

Overall, I have to hand it to Mark.  This was an ambitious project, but he absolutely pulled it off.  It was a timely reminder for me that there is loads of a great music from the past to discover and it was Mark who shipped me there.  I would love it if he did something similar again with another artist so I can discover more in this way.