New Waves.. Peace - 'Follow Baby'

Well, 'not-so-new' would be more appropriate, seeing as the band first released this song sometime last year, but with the run up to Peace's debut album, In Love (pre-order it guys, you know that it's gonna be great!) getting ever shorter, it seems somewhat apt to remind interweb denizens what sparked people's curiosity in the first place.

'Follow Baby' is being re-released almost a year from its original release date, having had a bit of a brush up - cleaner vocals are apparent - however, it doesn't really seem to warrant much of the altering that its been subject to at all. As before, there's some niggling facet of the song that makes you feel like you've heard it before (you have, but I'm not talking about last April!). The flow of the lyrics recalls 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', especially in the original version, whilst the music itself brings to mind The Horrors' 'Do You Remember' at certain points, however, I find myself in a total state of 'not caring!', as 'Follow Baby' is such a great song in its own right that having their influences so obviously displayed doesn't matter at all.

It is easily Peace's 'heaviest' song, with grungy guitars and a somewhat whiny vocal before the jubilant chorus swoops in with all its glittering glory, with lyrics so repetitively simple that they swirl around your cranium, Looney Tunes style. Personally, I still prefer the original version, but if this cleaner version gets Peace more mainstream recognition - which it no doubt will - they will blow up the year of 2013 in a more extravagant way than any music busybody could have predicted.

'Follow Baby' is released March 24th.

http://peaceforeverever.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/peaceforeverever
https://soundcloud.com/p-e-a-c-e

New Waves.. Austra - 'Trip'

OK, so not new at all, but I've only just ran across this band, randomly, via YouTube (off a MS MR video), and I was bewitched.

It was that warm, fuzzy, excited feeling that you get when you discover some amazingly fresh and intriguing new music, something that appears to be getting more and more rare these days. Austra are not a band that sounds like everyone else, indeed they are one of the most unique bands that I've came across in a while and I'm more than glad that I've stumbled across them. At the time of a-tap-tap-tapping away at this post, I have only listened to one song by them - namely 'Trip' - and that song itself, only once. That's how hard it hit me.

My quality of writing also seems to be going out the door in my haste to get it out, but all I have to say is that Austra are witchy and haunting, in a manner that recalls one of my favourite bands of last year, 2:54, though far more eerie  atmospheric and haunting, brushed with a gothic and near industrial edge which makes me recall some of IAMX's darker songs. The voice of singer *uber speedy Google search* Katie Stelmanis is reminiscent of Florence Welch, minus the quiver, full of strength and tone that only compliments the creepy aura.

Their latest album, Feel It Break is available now.

http://www.austramusic.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austra/124441027607242
http://austramusic.tumblr.com/

Flashback Friday.. Frank Ocean - 'Thinkin' Bout You'

Is this song old enough to be classed as a 'Flashback'? When creating this section of the blog, I made a guideline rule that all of the posts in this section had to have been released over a year prior  to me typing this (aka. pre-22nd Feb 2012). Alas, this falls a tad short with a release date of April 17th 2012, but due to a post that I will be putting up shortly, I feel that to throw out a real blast from the past would be a tad ironic.

Channel Orange, the everywhere-acclaimed album by rapper/singer Frank Ocean has been my turn-to lullaby for the past week or so (Jamie Woon once held the prestigious title), but with Tame Impala's Lonerism losing its sleepy-time sparkle, I dug out this album and -  fell in love with it. I originally downloaded Channel Orange after it topped many a 2012 year's end poll, and as a general music fan, I had to see what all the fuss was about. With my only prior knowledge of Frank Ocean being that he was a member of the infamy inducing rap troupe Odd Future(Wolf Gang Kill Them All)/OFWGKTA, and with interweb denizens kicking up a fuss over the fact that a bisexual rapper could exist - even in this day and age, it is fair to say that Channel Orange was not what I expected.

First of all, it was subtle, and nowhere near as affronting or in your face as Odd Future or Tyler the Creator's music has been. Second, it was impeccably stylish and atmospheric, down to the very last detail, mixing R'n'B with movie soundscapes, creative lyrical metaphors and references to Cleopatra. You've more than likely been exposed to some of Ocean's songs already.  My favourite though, along with the epic 10 minute anthem, 'Pyramids', has to be the beautiful and delicate 'Thinkin' Bout You'. The song lulls mystically through 3-and-a-half minutes of raw emotion, love longing and loss. It really is beautiful, and manages to draw the listener in so close that they may share Frank Ocean's feelings with him as if they were their own.

http://frankocean.com/

https://twitter.com/frank_ocean

New Waves.. Charli XCX - 'You (HA HA HA)

I started writing this a few weeks back when the video first premiered, but alas here it is, late as is so often the case these days! Fortunately, it's not been so delayed as to have been deemed irrelevant - not that that's ever stopped me before.

You should all know by now because I say it so often that I am a mahusive Charli XCX fan! The single, 'You (Ha Ha Ha)', is the first new song to be revealed for her forthcoming, as-of-yet untitled album. The song samples Gold Panda's 'You' which, whilst being a great instrumental in it's own right, gains a new lease of life with the addition of Charli's lyrics. That being said, Charli's 'You' feels a tad repetitive and not as strong as some of her previous singles. I feel like a broken record in that I've said this on my previous few posts - however, both the 'SUPER ULTRA Mixtape' and especially 'Cloud Aura (feat. BROOKE CANDY)' have grown on me immensely, I'll eat my words! I think that for me, having been impressed with the lyrics for her first couple of singles, 'Stay Away' and 'Nuclear Seasons', I am always looking for such standards of brilliance. That being said, it's still a great pop track, and I'm still beyond excited for the album. I genuinely don't recall the last time the prospect of an album release has whet my appetite so much, I seriously can't wait! It will be on repeat for months!

The 'You (Ha Ha Ha)' EP is out on February 10th.

http://www.facebook.com/charlixcxmusic
http://charlixcxmusic.com/
https://twitter.com/charli_xcx

New Waves.. Peace - 'Wraith'

I know, I know, the latest Peace single has been floating around the blogosphere/cyberspace since approximately November, but it finally got its official release last Sunday, and having it ready for my repeatable disposal has left me suitably obsessed enough to write a review.

'Wraith' itself is a beaut of a tune. I admit, a had practically dismissed Peace after hearing the opening of 'Bloodshake' - I did not require a new Friendly Fires! - but upon seeing the accompanying video for 'Wraith', I turned back and scouted out all of their other songs.

It's official; I love them! The only downside to finding a new band to fawn over (I've been lacking a new favouritist band ever for what feels like, well, forever), is the lack of material to satisfy my appetite  but alas, an EP and 2 singles shall have to suffice til the album is out later this year, and Peace are in my opinion, unlike NME's chosen flavour of the year; Palma Violets, worth all the fuss.

Peace manage to straddle the pop vs. indie crossover fence perfectly, and 'Wraith' encapsulates this, and with a video odd enough to keep you watching til the end, albeitone that is totally and utterly sexist and objectifying (TWERK GALORE!- yes, you read right). I can't help but value the song 10,000x more than the video itself. Despite this, make sure that you check it out above, they're gonna be huge :)

'Wraith' and last  year's Delicious EP are both available now.

http://peaceforeverever.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/peaceforeverever
https://soundcloud.com/p-e-a-c-e

New Waves.. IAMX - 'The Unified Field'

In the UK especially, IAMX - aka. former Sneaker Pimps maestro, Chris Corner - isn't as loved as he should be. In fact, he appears to be practically ignored by the UK music press. Although, if you cross the waters to Europe, the ex-pat/ current Berlin inhabitant is far more adored.

His brand of emotive electronica can  range from darkly disturbing to whimsically romantic within the space of an album. Both musically and visually, IAMX take influence of cirque and cabaret, although neither are present in the above song. 'The Unified Field' is the first song to début from the fifth IAMX album of the same name. In regards to this song, I don't feel that it's one of Corner's strongest at all; it doesn't feel that unique, or special, and it doesn't encapsulate what IAMX is about. It just feels mediocre, although perhaps within the context of the album, my opinion may differ.

I'm going to leave some of my favourite IAMX songs below so you can see what I mean .


http://www.iamx.eu/
http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/iamx
http://www.facebook.com/IAMXOFFICIAL

'Spit It Out'

'Nature of Inviting

'Ghosts Of Utopia'

'Tear Garden'

New Waves.. Delphic - 'Baiya'

Edit: Snazzy new video has been debuted - woop! 

Manchester band, Delphic, return with 'Baiya', the first song to début  from their second album, Collections.

'Baiya' is reminiscent of the electro-pop vein of the singles taken from their previous 2009 album, Acolyte, albeit perhaps more chart friendly, with synths flowing as opposed to being used for choppy rhythms a la 'Doubt' and 'Halcyon', incorporating oriental strings around the refrain 'All hell is breaking loose' and walking the fine line between modern and comfortably retro. It is also not the euphorically hectic maelstrom of noise that was previously released song, 'Good Life' (I had no idea that this song existed until today!)

That said, I'm so glad to see/hear of Delphic again! I loved Acolyte and will most likely love Collections when it's released.

Collections is released on 28th Jan 2013.

http://www.facebook.com/delphicmusic

http://www.delphic.cc/

http://soundcloud.com/delphic

Rapid Review.. Bloc Party - 'Four'

If there's one thing that this review isn't, it's time effective. Once again, apologies, part 1 - because I didn't even get this album 'til a month or so ago, and part 2 - becuase after I started writing this review, I actually forgot that it was there...

The fourth album by London based quartet, Bloc Party, imaginatively entitled.. erm, Four, dropped in late August (almost 3 months late - sorry!) and in my opinion it is easily one of the best efforts from the band as of yet, and most surprisngly of all...

It's heavy.

Yup, who'd have guessed it?

Four is a tightly wound, if not ragged beast; a scruffy powerhouse collection of songs that you really wouldn't expect from an often soppy and sentimental band such as Bloc Party. That's not to say that they don't do soppy and sentimental well, and sure, they have the some amazing belters under their, er, belts (puns galore!), but for this quantity to be in a Bloc Party opus is unheard of.

The album itself is incredibly consistent in the quality of the songs, but unlike their previous albums, it feels like there is no real stand-out track. Silent Alarm had many - 'Banquet', 'Helicopter', 'So Here We Are', A Weekend In The City - 'The Prayer', Intimacy - 'Mercury', but with Four, a track doesn't leap to mind. At a push, I'd say 'Kettling', and at a further push, perhaps 'Octopus' (with it's Daft Punk guitar), whilst '3x3' surprisingly wouldn't sound out of place with Matt Bellamy on vocals - it really reminds me of something old Muse would have concocted.

Somehow, this review had turned out sounding negative - it's really not! If you've ever had reservations towards Bloc Party, end them by listening to this. They were never run of the mill, and always worth your attention, but with Four they grab you buy the collar and shake you and pull you until your reservations have been blown to smithereens.

Something which I don't think anyone, fans and fence riders alike, was expecting.

http://blocparty.com/
http://www.facebook.com/blocpartyofficial
https://twitter.com/BlocParty/

New Waves.. The Family Rain - 'Trust Me... I'm A Genius'

Bit slow this week, I've been busy with uni and seeing my boyf and friends, as well as being ill.

But anyways, his rowdy little number is by Bath based trio, The Family Rain. 'Trust Me.. I'm A Genius' is reminiscent of classic rock turned bluesy, but with a cocky edge that only the young can pull off, making the song feel exciting and relevant as opposed to tired.

To me, it brings to mind a bulkier and less lazy sounding Black Box Revelation, with Jack White added for some extra oomph.

The single is out now via iTunes. 

There's a limited run (250 copies) of 7" available through Rough Trade at £4.99, though these don't seem to be available until 7th Jan 2013.

What do you think of The Family Rain/ 'Trust Me... I'm A Genius'?

http://www.facebook.com/thefamilyrain

https://twitter.com/thefamilyrain

Rapid Review.. Kate Nash - 'Deathproof EP'

Old Kate Nash and New Kate Nash are two different entities - let's treat them as such. One day, New Kate Nash had a humdinger row with Old Kate Nash and took the candlestick, from the library, and proceeded to beat the utter shit out of Old Kate Nash until, as a battered bloody pulp, she was unceremoniously dumped in 6 ft of dirt under the rose bush.

Or so it may well have been, for there's really not much connecting the music of New Nash to the Old, for example, New Nash is pretty much devoid of a cockney accent! Oh - don't get too excited - it's still there to an extent, but it's nowhere near as aggrivating as 'You-ou've gon an' got sick on myy train-errss, I on'y got theez yes-ter-day/ O-mah-gosh, I can-not be bovvad wiv thisss'. This Nash swaps her 'Mouthwash' piano for big bass riffs and whoops, growls and squeaks through  four out of five of these new songs, although it's worth noting that none of them are as screechy and strangled as previous song, 'Under Estimate the Girl' managed to be. It's still in the same grungy, new-wave vein however; the title song (single?) 'Deathproof' has a lazily cute vocal, as does 'Fri-End', and the whole EP sounds distinctly retro. 'I Want A Boyfriend' is particularly catchy and edgier, with the shrieking making an appearance, whilst 'May Queen' ends the EP on a softer note. There's even a surprisingly good cover of The Kinks 'All Day And All Of The Night thrown in there too!

I have to say, as a person who has never loved Nash outside of 'Foundations', 'Birds' and 'Pumpkin Soup', I really liked this EP and it will no doubt grow on me as I listen to it more; I may even delve into her second album, My Best Friend Is You a la 'Do Wah Do', which passed me by completely.

Nash has stated that her third album, Girl Talk is due in early 2013 and you can pre-order it and  get access to other content via her Pledge project.

Deathproof EP is out now on iTunes and her Pledge project.

Have you listened to the songs? What do you think? Do you prefer Kate Nash's new sound or do you prefer her old music?

http://www.myignorantyouth.com/
http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/katenash
https://twitter.com/katenash
http://www.facebook.com/katenash
http://katenash.sandbag.uk.com/Store/

New Waves.. The Ramona Flowers - 'Dismantle and Rebuild'

Presumably named after comic book character, Scott Pilgrim's spunky love interest, the debut song from indie electro outfit, The Ramona Flowers is a classy affair. Infused with subtle dubstep elements, 'Dismantle and Rebuild' flows passionately - and the video is apt, as the sounds bring to mind cityscapes and speeding traffic, and where a lot of electronic music can sound stark, this song is rather comforting to the ear.

Apart from that, The Ramona Flowers' debut EP, Dismantle is OUT NOW and is currently floating around the cyberspace of the iTunes charts.

http://www.theramonaflowers.com/

http://www.facebook.com/theramonaflowersmusic

https://twitter.com/theramonaflower

New Waves.. Swim Deep - 'Honey'

Swim Deep is summer, and 'Honey' is a sun trap. OK, it's the wrong time of year and the Birmingham band aren't likely to see much seas or sand, but despite the harsh winter wind and balaclava inducing weather, I'm sure we can all manage to kid ourselves that tropical heat is somewhere on the far too distant horizon.

The song plods along in a chilled out manner, and the lyrics relate as an ode towards not wasting your life a la 'And don’t you dream in your sleep it’s just lazy''. But, to be honest, who can resist, when the sound of Swim Deep just makes you want to laze around and enjoy the view. Best enjoyed with a beer and a reclining sun lounger.

The band have recently announced their own headline tour February 2013.

14th Southampton Joiners
15th Birmingham Temple (HMV)
16th Leeds Brudenell Social Club
17th Manchester Soup Kitchen
18th Nottingham Bodega
19th Sheffield Plug
20th York Duchess
22nd Glasgow King Tut's
23rd Liverpool Kazimier
24th Bristol Thekla
25th Norwich Open
26th London XOYO
27th Brighton Green Door Store

'Honey' is OUT NOW.

http://soundcloud.com/swimdeep
http://www.facebook.com/SWIMDEEPUK
http://swim-deep.tumblr.com/
https://twitter.com/SWIM_DEEP

Rapid Review.. Charli XCX - 'SUPER ULTRA Mixtape'

You've probably gathered by now, if you follow this blog that is, that I am a large fan of Charli XCX. The alt. pop singer has been garnering more and more press coverage recently, and now she has released her second mixtape, SUPER ULTRA, prior to the release of her album early next year.

SUPER ULTRA hits the ground with 'Cloud Aura' (feat. Brooke Candy), which I reviewed previously, and stated that I felt it wasn't one of the strongest songs from Charli as of yet, although in hindsight after listening to this mixtape, it actually adds some well needed "oomph" to the sequence of tracks. The mixtape itself feels somewhat trippy, there are more mid-tempo/slow songs here and strange beats, with only 'Heatwave' really getting the listener excited by being a nice dance track. For me, the highlight of the mixtape has to be 'Forgiveness'; it's the nearest thing to a ballad that Charli has given us yet, and it's simple and personal, although as with any Charli XCX song, the temptation to mix it up is always there, as after the first chorus is done and dusted, the atmosphere turns menacing and dark.

On the newsletter email that delivered the free download, Charli stated that the entirety of the mixtape was written during her two days touring in Poland, and that the songs are all about love and are all sad in some manner.

Go to Charli XCX's website to download the SUPER ULTRA mixtape for FREE.

Read my review of Charli's previous mixtape, HEARTBREAKS AND EARTHQUAKES HERE.

Charli XCX is also doing a DJ set at The Garage on 21st November (tickets here) with Tom Vek, Brenton and Coves all playing live.

http://charlixcxmusic.com/
http://www.facebook.com/charlixcxmusic
https://twitter.com/charli_xcx
http://soundcloud.com/charlixcx

New Waves.. Kodaline - 'All I Want'

'All I Want' by Dublin band Kodaline is not particularly new, I've come across the video a few times on the music channels.

Although, let's be honest, if it wasn't for the intriguing music video, with the 'monstrous creature' type guy searching for love and acceptance in a cruel cruel world, I probably wouldn't have kept watching, because although the song is gentle and subtle, that could also translate to being more than a tad dreary.

That said, with lyrics such as 'when you said your last goodbye/ I died a little bit inside/ I lay in tears in bed all night/ alone without you by my side', it was never going to be a jolly 'Thing's Can Only Get Better' affair. In regards to that, I suppose it's one of those songs that we'll all turn to when in need to mope over a newly branded '-ex'. Plus, Ben and Jerry's. Cookie Dough, if you please.

http://www.kodaline.com/
http://www.facebook.com/Kodaline
https://twitter.com/Kodaline

Flashback Friday.. The Cure - 'Boys Don't Cry'

Alas, another night on the tiles dictating this Friday feature!

Last week was my 20th birthday, and after celebrating with a nice meal with the family on the Friday, I went on the razz up Birmingham on Saturday night with some friends. After flitting between The Yardbird - a jazz bar - and Lloyds, we found ourselves in Snobs, an idie/alt. music club; from my slightly patchy memory, I can clearly remember The Cure's 'Boys Don't Cry' permeating through the haze!

'Boys Don't Cry', along with 'Love Cats' and 'Friday, I'm In Love', has to be one of The Cure's most well known songs, if not the most mainstream. It is easily, a cult song. Released in 1979 (!), it still manages to sound fresh, and will no doubt continue to withstand time challenging musical shifts where the music of today most likely fail.

The Cure returned to the festival circuit this year, headlining the 2012 Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK, have a looksee at their set here.

My favourite Cure song is 'Love Song', how 'bout you?

http://www.thecure.com/

New Waves.. Everything Everything - 'Cough Cough'

Catching our to attention with their highly catchy single 'MY KZ, UR BF' in 2010, Everything Everything still managed to slip under the majority of peoples musical radars.

Their latest single, 'Cough Cough' picks up the momentum; as wonderful as 'MY KZ, UR BF' was, this is better. The breakdown to the drums for the chorus turns the usual chorus crescendo  on its head, the verses, bubbling electro-pop. Singer, Jonathan Higgs easily has one of the most unusual voices of recent years, he definitely reminds me of The Maccabees frontman, Orlando Weeks in his quavering delivery. If Weeks fronted MGMT whilst he and said band were attached to electrodes, it would result in this band!

At the moment, I'd go so much as to say they have real potential to fill the lull in my iPod as of late; 'Cough Cough' has definitely made me excited to hear their second album, Arc, which is to be released on 14th January 2013.

'Cough Cough' is out now, and Everything Everything go on tour in February 2013.

Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms, 6 Feb 2013
Brighton Concorde 2, 7th Feb
Norwich Arts Centre, 8th Feb
Bristol, Tekhla, 9th Feb
Cambridge, Junction, 11th Feb
Birmingham, HMV Institute Library, 12th Feb
Oxford, 02 Academy 2, 14th Feb
Sheffield, Leadmill, 16th Feb
Liverpool, O2 Academy, 17th Feb
Glasgow Oran Mor, 20th Feb


http://www.everything-everything.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/EverythingEverythinguk

New Waves.. The Joy Formidable - 'Cholla'

Well, new for me any way, I swear these days that I must live with my head in the ground because, once again, this had totally passed me by. I was aware that the band were playing two small shows prior to the album being released but wasn't aware of a single. I sure keep up to date!

'Cholla' is what could be described as typical of The Joy Formidable; their name certainly encompasses their sound, as the band manage to juxtapose ferocity with somewhat soaring guitars and Ritzy Bryan's innocent sounding vocal; a far more grittier voice would be expected of her in order to compliment the aggression, choosing to compliment the softer elements is far more interesting.

The song would have been right at home on the band's début album, The Big Roar, and with this as the lead single, their follow up, Wolf's Law seems very promising!

Wolf's Law itself is expected on 21st January 2013. The band recently announced that they would be touring in the new year in support of the album. Dates as follows:

January
Tuesday 22nd Liverpool, Kazimier
Wednesday 23rd Norwich, Waterfront
Friday 25th Belfast, The Limelight
Saturday 26th Dublin, Academy
Monday 28th Cardiff, Solus
Tuesday 29th Bristol, Fiddlers

February

Sunday 24th Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
Monday 25th Leeds, Cockpit
Tuesday 26th Glasgow, Oran Mor
Thursday 28th Manchester, Ritz

March

Friday 1st Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall
Saturday 2nd Sheffield, Leadmill
Monday 4th Brighton, Concorde 2
Tuesday 5th Exeter, Phoenix
Wednesday 6th Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
Friday 8th London, The Roundhouse

http://www.thejoyformidable.com/

http://www.facebook.com/thejoyformidable

https://twitter.com/joyformidable

New Waves.. Charli XCX - 'Cloud Aura' (feat. BROOKE CANDY)

'Cloud Aura' is that latest track dropped by rising underground pop starlet, Charli XCX. This song features Brooke Candy, an artist probably most known to alt. music fans as the pink haired, metallic alien/anime girl in Grimes' mind boggling video for her track 'Genesis'.

Candy's contribution isn't stunning, but it serves its purpose, name-dropping couple comparisons such as Bonnie and Clyde, Jay - Z and Beyonce, and - annoyingly - a pro Chris Brown reference, that would irk any sane individual with its presence, whether he can claim hit chart dance tunes or not.

Charli's own verse reminds me of Tinie Tempah in its delivery, and as always, the chorus is undeniably catchy. It's not one of the strongest songs that she's given us so far, but it seems to hint at a bit of musical experimentation and genre blending which is always interesting. The track sounds more electro hip hip that Charli's perceived industrial goth poppiness. It is also frustratingly short, but seeing as it's practically a teaser from her upcoming mixtape SUPER ULTRA, which is due next week.

http://www.facebook.com/charlixcxmusic
http://charlixcxmusic.com/
https://twitter.com/charli_xcx

UPDATE: Here's the music vid :)

New Waves.. LIGHTS - 'Timing Is Everything'

And now, a bit of LIGHTS to perk up these dark days!

For some reason, this video isn't listed on a YouTube search and can only be found with a direct link (CONFUSED!), but it's on LIGHTS' own YouTube channel, so it must be official.

You may be unaware, but I adore LIGHTS, she's a talented and cute soul! The next single, taken from her second album, Siberia, is 'Timing Is Everything', lyrically concerning how unpredictable life and love can be. She is probably also the only artist that I've come across who has managed to put the phrase 'different trajectories' successfully into a song (There I was, none the wiser/ Both of us/ Different trajectories).

The video itself is pretty weird; lots of gym exercising, dancing and shiny spandex, which I suppose is meant to highlight the song's theme's of love springing from unexpected places. My favourite LIGHTS video will most likely always be the one for 'Second Go', the attack of Coloured Paint VS. White House! You could tell it was a one take job, they would have been totally screwed if it had gone wrong!

LIGHTS is currently on her final 2012 US tour for Siberia.

http://music.iamlights.com/
https://twitter.com/lights
http://www.facebook.com/lights

Rapid Review.. Ellie Goulding - 'Halcyon'

Again, not so rapid! Apologies, apologies! It's my own fault, recently I've just been trying to keep on top of reading and seeing family and friends and the boyf and generally pondering the point of my own existence to really commit to on here, or writing and drawing or anything of purpose in general.

I know, I know, by my own admission, my excuses are getting old, and now I appear to be rambling, but a combination of all of these little things led me to not keeping up to date with music in general, procrastination for the nation!

(Deeeeep breath!) To la review!

Ellie Goulding's woken up!

Her second album, Halcyon, far surpasses both her début and extended editions (Lights and Bright Lights - old old review!) which, similarly to Marina and the Diamonds' The Family Jewels and Electra Heart, slips into an unsatisfying mid-tempo slumber a third in. Halcyon, however, is slathered in synths, and as much as Goulding denies boyfriend, Skrillex's influence on her work, it can't be denied, as this is an oddly workable combination of folk-pop and commercial dubstep.

Luckily, there are many songs superior to the aggravatingly repetitive 'Anything Can Happen', and why she chose that as the lead single, I'll never know. 'Figure 8' for example, is far superior and immediate and would sound huge live. That said, this entire album is far more upbeat and memorable; the gems are surprisingly again hidden on the deluxe release, namely 'Ritual', 'In My City' and 'Without Your Love' all being brilliant additions.

A few collaborations are snuck in here too, the Calvin Harris song 'I Believe Your Love', as well as the teaser track that Goulding released a few months back, 'Hanging On' (feat. Tinie Tempah (review here!), is also on here, as well as an alternate, albeit un-extended version of the track minus his cliché rap efforts.

Forgetting those, it is worth a second to state that Halcyon appears a far more mature and experimental effort than the first; at times it is dark and haunting in sound ('Don't Say A Word'), whilst lyrically it seems less naive, but always always with pop sentiments close at heart. It's say to say that Halcyon was the surprise of my week; a die hard fan of Goulding's first album, I doubted that it's successor would live up to the recent hype surrounding Goulding, but it did, and for that I'm glad!

Goulding tours the UK in December!

O2 Academy Bristol (December 7)
O2 Academy Liverpool (8)
Nottingham Rock City (11)
O2 Brixton Academy (12)
O2 Academy Glasgow (13)
O2 Academy Leeds (15)
O2 Academy Birmingham (16)
Manchester Academy (17)
Southampton Guildhall (18)

http://elliegoulding.com/
https://twitter.com/elliegoulding
http://www.facebook.com/elliegoulding