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.