Another single review. I've had a bit of a mad week, and I'm still not entireley sure what I'm doing! But I really liked this song, which is a change from what I normally like. I've also just re-read this and thought of things I could've put in it but oh well!
Having played with Pulled Apart by Horses, The Automatic, and even the Pixies, Leeds trio Dinosaur Pile-Up have proved that they’re here for business. Their 2009 debut single “My Rock N Roll” was championed by the likes of Zane Lowe, and follow-up EP “The Most Powerful EP In The Universe” gained similar praise. “Birds and Planes” is the first single to be released from their debut album “Growing Pains,” which is released in September.
“Birds and Planes” immediately bursts in with a crunching riff and somewhat downbeat lyrics. From here on in, the energy never ceases as the trio seem to play the hell out of their instruments with no half-heartedness insight. Even the vocals keep their edge, unwilling to get lost in the chaos- in a good way- surrounding them. It seems to be pretty clear that music is something they are deadly passionate about. Frontman Matt Bigland has confessed that he wants people to be able to sing along to their songs, even if the lyrics are not of the happy kind- which is pretty evident here. With lines like “nothing is for sure you know except the day you go to hell,” this was no lie. The song continues in this vain, until we hit midpoint, where the band get to let off some steam and show their worth in a short “instrumental-interlude.” After this, the stakes are raised as the riffs get heavier and the drums get louder. This is where you can see how the band succeed in uniting an audience live, as you can imagine every single person getting stuck in. Everything comes to a head when the track reaches its end, as the trio continue to impress.
If this track is anything to go by, Dinosaur Pile-Up’s debut album should impress. With a tour lined up for September, Dinosaur Pile-Up will continue to grow for some time to come.
4.5/5
S'all published
http://www.rocklouder.co.uk/singles/article/dinsaur-pile-up-birds-and-planes
Friday, 23 July 2010
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Holy State- Holy State EP
It's been a while- I like to blame exams and sleep! This is my review of Holy State's self-titled EP. It's released on July 12th :)
Citing their influences as Jesus Lizard and The Fall among others, Holy State have set themselves up for success. Having already appeared on Huw Stephen’s ‘Music Sounds Better with Huw-Volume 1,’ and opened up the Dance to the Radio stage at the Leeds Festival last year, they’ve already marked their territory as one of the ‘bands-to-watch.’ This self-titled EP is their first to be released properly, and is being released through Dance to the Radio.
Opener ‘Brain Caves’ forces you to immediately sit up and listen, beginning with a trumpet and incessantly catchy drumbeat. Ditching conventional repetitive beats, this opening number is heavy-hitting, and shows how Holy State are pushing against the norm. This is especially evident when you reach the chorus, as the offering becomes particularly severe- but not in a way that is detrimental to their vocals. Move on to ‘The Beaus and the Oglers,’ and their true potential is unleashed. Although being a shorter track, everything seems to work together to produce another heavy-hitting number, which includes a short interluding instrumental in the midst of the track. It brings us up to speed with their talent-of-plenty, before we move onto a slower and perhaps calmer song. ‘Skull on Skull’ is perhaps the break in the action that is needed here, and it’s one which is received gratefully, as they prove that they can provide variety in their music. Finishing on ‘Palms,’ you can immediately see that this will be a crowd-pleaser. Among the clapping-beat of the drums, which becomes more complex as the track progresses, there is an energy that seems the live-scene like a glove.
Holy State have found their rhythm, as they step out of the box and give us something unexpected in today’s music scene.
4/5
Published! http://www.rocklouder.co.uk/albums/article/holy-state-holy-state-ep
Citing their influences as Jesus Lizard and The Fall among others, Holy State have set themselves up for success. Having already appeared on Huw Stephen’s ‘Music Sounds Better with Huw-Volume 1,’ and opened up the Dance to the Radio stage at the Leeds Festival last year, they’ve already marked their territory as one of the ‘bands-to-watch.’ This self-titled EP is their first to be released properly, and is being released through Dance to the Radio.
Opener ‘Brain Caves’ forces you to immediately sit up and listen, beginning with a trumpet and incessantly catchy drumbeat. Ditching conventional repetitive beats, this opening number is heavy-hitting, and shows how Holy State are pushing against the norm. This is especially evident when you reach the chorus, as the offering becomes particularly severe- but not in a way that is detrimental to their vocals. Move on to ‘The Beaus and the Oglers,’ and their true potential is unleashed. Although being a shorter track, everything seems to work together to produce another heavy-hitting number, which includes a short interluding instrumental in the midst of the track. It brings us up to speed with their talent-of-plenty, before we move onto a slower and perhaps calmer song. ‘Skull on Skull’ is perhaps the break in the action that is needed here, and it’s one which is received gratefully, as they prove that they can provide variety in their music. Finishing on ‘Palms,’ you can immediately see that this will be a crowd-pleaser. Among the clapping-beat of the drums, which becomes more complex as the track progresses, there is an energy that seems the live-scene like a glove.
Holy State have found their rhythm, as they step out of the box and give us something unexpected in today’s music scene.
4/5
Published! http://www.rocklouder.co.uk/albums/article/holy-state-holy-state-ep
Friday, 28 May 2010
Four Year Strong- Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)
Apparently this blog doesn't want to do a proper layout, which is nice. This is the last one I've done for now, but I will do some more this evening. I've decided I like this band...
If you’re looking for a band who are unwilling to commit, look no further than Four Year Strong. This is no bad thing- variety is the spice of life and all that-, as the band prove themselves capable of being able to produce intense tunes, be they pop-punk, hardcore, or anything in-between. This has undoubtedly paid-off, as they have made themselves known over the years in many-a-poll, from “most anticipated”[Alternative Press] to one of the “40 bands you need to know” [Rolling Stone].
This talent has continued into newest offering, Wasting Time (Eternal Summer). Bursting with energy from the start, this track is a sure fire winner. “I don’t care” is the main theme here, as lyrics are spat out, sung and chanted with passion and emotion. Aided by infectious drumming and guitar riffs to match, you can feel how real these lyrics are. Even when the track reaches its ‘breakdown’ moment, the energy is still completely visible, as chants including “wasting time, all along you were just wasting my time” are sung to the tune of an incessant drumbeat. In the background vocals- echoes of the chanting and ‘woo-‘-ing, you can hear how much fun they’re having with this, which is something which can be rare to find in some modern-day bands.
Four Year Strong deserve every success, as they have continued to go from strength to strength.
4/5
Just saw my review got published today! Compared to how bad my last published review seemed to be [haha], this one seems to have gone done well:
http://www.rocklouder.co.uk/singles/article/four-year-strong-wasting-time-eternal-summer
If you’re looking for a band who are unwilling to commit, look no further than Four Year Strong. This is no bad thing- variety is the spice of life and all that-, as the band prove themselves capable of being able to produce intense tunes, be they pop-punk, hardcore, or anything in-between. This has undoubtedly paid-off, as they have made themselves known over the years in many-a-poll, from “most anticipated”[Alternative Press] to one of the “40 bands you need to know” [Rolling Stone].
This talent has continued into newest offering, Wasting Time (Eternal Summer). Bursting with energy from the start, this track is a sure fire winner. “I don’t care” is the main theme here, as lyrics are spat out, sung and chanted with passion and emotion. Aided by infectious drumming and guitar riffs to match, you can feel how real these lyrics are. Even when the track reaches its ‘breakdown’ moment, the energy is still completely visible, as chants including “wasting time, all along you were just wasting my time” are sung to the tune of an incessant drumbeat. In the background vocals- echoes of the chanting and ‘woo-‘-ing, you can hear how much fun they’re having with this, which is something which can be rare to find in some modern-day bands.
Four Year Strong deserve every success, as they have continued to go from strength to strength.
4/5
Just saw my review got published today! Compared to how bad my last published review seemed to be [haha], this one seems to have gone done well:
http://www.rocklouder.co.uk/singles/article/four-year-strong-wasting-time-eternal-summer
The Drums- Forever and Ever Amen
Second review of the day- new band "The Drums". I've liked them for a while, so it was nice to do a review of them.
If you paid attention to any music polls, or a variety of music publications, last year, you should’ve picked up that this Brooklyn-based band is supposedly the “Sound of 2010.” Formed in 2008, consisting of only best friends Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham initially, The Drums have slowly been climbing the ladder of success. Adding drummer Connor Hanwick and guitarist Adam Kessler to the mix, their music has gone from strength to strength, hitting radio stations, music channels and music publications worldwide.
Forever and Ever Amen is the third single to be released by The Drums, and it doesn’t disappoint. Drums form a prominent part of the track, providing not only one half of the track’s introduction, but also the unforgiving beat that is guaranteed to be in your head for quite some time. With no bass involved, it’s up to the two guitars to produce the melodies that listeners are after. Again, disappointment is not found, as their riffs are assured to be the soundtrack to summer, whatever the weather. Sung by Jonathan Pierce, the lyrics feel incredibly heart-felt and sincere, something which immediately increases the likeability of the track. Backing vocals are simply, and in a way haunting, but for all the right reasons.
With all of their talent packaged together, it’s no wonder they have been tipped for great things in 2010. With stupidly catchy songs like this, the only way is up for The Drums.
4/5
If you paid attention to any music polls, or a variety of music publications, last year, you should’ve picked up that this Brooklyn-based band is supposedly the “Sound of 2010.” Formed in 2008, consisting of only best friends Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham initially, The Drums have slowly been climbing the ladder of success. Adding drummer Connor Hanwick and guitarist Adam Kessler to the mix, their music has gone from strength to strength, hitting radio stations, music channels and music publications worldwide.
Forever and Ever Amen is the third single to be released by The Drums, and it doesn’t disappoint. Drums form a prominent part of the track, providing not only one half of the track’s introduction, but also the unforgiving beat that is guaranteed to be in your head for quite some time. With no bass involved, it’s up to the two guitars to produce the melodies that listeners are after. Again, disappointment is not found, as their riffs are assured to be the soundtrack to summer, whatever the weather. Sung by Jonathan Pierce, the lyrics feel incredibly heart-felt and sincere, something which immediately increases the likeability of the track. Backing vocals are simply, and in a way haunting, but for all the right reasons.
With all of their talent packaged together, it’s no wonder they have been tipped for great things in 2010. With stupidly catchy songs like this, the only way is up for The Drums.
4/5
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