Wednesday 23 February 2011

Review #6: Chapel Club-Palace

It's been a while since my last review, but that is due to the lack of anything from this album and it taking me a month to listen to.

2/10

Saturday 5 February 2011

Review #5: The Joy Formidable-The Big Roar

You can tell when a band really tries to create a pop record that is going to stay with people for a long time. 'The Big Roar' isn't just some flimsy album a band have put together to make money. It is clear that time and effort has gone into creating this wonderful world of their personal world.
The whole array of different sounds on the album is just truly magical. The mix of rock, indie, pop and electro really makes the album as brilliant as it is, and the beautiful vocals just top the whole thing off.
Songs such as 'Whirring' and 'Cradle' are probably some of the best songs you will ever hear as the blend of the instruments sits in your ear perfectly.
It seems as if the band has released something that they wanted to, rather than something they thought other people would like.
A masterpiece.

9/10

Friday 4 February 2011

Review #4: Funeral Party-The Golden Age Of Knowhere

I was expecting a lot from Funeral Party. After I heard 'Giant' I was really looking forward the albums release. But that excitement was never fully met. It may be due to them being over hyped or that they just aren't that good, but something didn't happen.
 It's not that it's a bad album, It's actually a rather good attempt but it seems as if they are holding something back. I find the major problem with Funeral Party to be that it seems as if their lyrics don't mean anything. They seem very bland and unimaginative, which is odd as their music is quite intense.
On the other hand, the vocals are great on the record. Chad Elliot reportedly had to record the tracks a few times, as he was never fully happy with the finished product and it seems that this was a good decision from the frontman.
But despite some slight hitches, and my over excitement, it's not a bad album at all.
7/10

Thursday 3 February 2011

Review #3: The Decemberists-The King Is Dead

You know an album is going to be good when it starts with a harmonica.
I find that the Decemberists are a love/hate band. You either love the voice of Colin Meloy, or you physically despise it, and every time you hear it you try to gnaw off your own ears. However, I rather like it, and other than that it is well proven that he can write a song or two from his track record.
The group from Oregon really show their capabilities in their latest outing, especially with it being very different from rock opera, 'The Hazardous Of Love' yet just as rewarding to listen to.
There is a very country feel to this album that hasn't really been experienced from any of their others. Maybe this is due to the harmonica. I don't know. But still, the actual playing is tremendous and is of great merit, really showing that they didn't aim to be better than before they just played what came naturally to them.

8/10

Tuesday 1 February 2011

Review #2: White Lies-Ritual

After storming their first album, many people expected better from the London trio on their return. 'Ritual' was what they came up with, which differs a lot from their debut. It is clear to see how the band has matured over the two years, just due to the effect the album leaves on you. 'To Loose My Life' was a very grim album, yet it created a huge buzz in the music world, with references to Joy Division and Editors flying everywhere.
But Ritual really takes a new perspective for them. The lyrics are just as thought provoking as they were from their predecessor but the music is almost slightly happier. 'Bigger Than Us' is a huge number and is one of the few tracks on 'Ritual' that could have come out of their debut. 'You took the tunnel road home, you've never taken that way with me before' is very much a lyric that would have been quite happy in 'To Loose My Life' but others such as 'Whoever taught you to scream like that' are surprisingly different from anything on their first. But in a way this doesn't change much about them as a band. They are still dubbed as the 'Death Rockers' and this will probably never change, but I can't help thinking they may regret their early work in years to come.

7/10