Flashback Friday.. Phoenix - '1901'

And here was me thinking that this stellar performance had fallen into the BBC abyss of space and time!

I have recently developed an intangible love for Phoenix! However, I am rather loathe and ashamed to admit that prior to seeing them live at Reading as they headlined the NME/Radio1 stage on a Sunday night, that I had not really listened to a lot of their music. I had given their fourth album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix a casual listen when it first came out in 2009, but hadn't delved any deeper in the time since then.

But that all changed with seeing them live at Reading! They were absolutely fantastic, the band were totally on point, the light show was impressive, and singer Thomas Mars had absolutely no fear in regards to diving into the crowd!

The song I've chosen - '1901' - is one of their most well known singles and was an absolute riot live, even this TV performance on Jools Holland was good, and you're guaranteed to be humming it for the rest of the day after. Recently, I've really enjoyed listening to their recent fifth album, Bankrupt!, which is far more electronic than anything they've done previously. If you ever get the chance to see Phoenix live, take the opportunity! The band are currently touring the US before heading over to Mexico, Europe and Australia, with Haim (also spectacular live!) joining them over in Europe.

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

Rapid Review.. Peace - 'In Love (Deluxe Edition)'

So, any self-respecting Peace fan has most definitely heard the album by now, after it was streamed in its entirety via NME.com. I could have reviewed it then, like every other music blogger/vlogger/journo-nut did, HOWEVER I abstained, and waited resolutely for my signed deluxe copy to drop through the post.

This was not helped however, by this God awful weather that has swooped upon the nation. We are 5 days from April. NO APRIL NEEDS SNOW! Whilst it may look pretty, the novelty dies rather rapidly (aka. as soon as you step outside) and this as had the unsavoury repercussion of keeping my local postie from my fine looking door. But today - finally (OK, OK, 1 day after release date is not bad, though I was hoping for it to arrive in advance) - Peace's album finally found its way into my eager mitts.

The debut album by the Birmingham four-piece, In Love, speaks of, well, love. It's music has a rosy tinted glow, it's warm and inviting, and would definitely be the perfect soundtrack to a chilled out summer evening, similar to fellow "B-Town" name-makers, Swim Deep. As we well know, every single/EP song that has preceded has so far exceeded the last - 'Bloodshake', 'California Daze', 'Wraith', 'Follow Baby' (see what I had to say about the new re-recorded version) - and such a high standard resulted in my overly high expectations for this album. Were they met? Well, the more I listen to In Love, the more I think so.

'Higher Than The Sun' hits the ground running; if a Peace virgin were to hear this song, they would know exactly what they are letting themselves in for, it epitomises exactly what Peace are about - optimism, love and fun. Because Peace are a fun band, as evidenced by the second song 'Follow Baby' - so good they released it twice. As stated in one of my previous posts, the song manages to feel familiar (The Horrors, Nirvana) yet unique at the same time, though I do still prefer the scuzzier vocal of the original version. 'Lovesick' recalls The Cure's 'Friday, I'm In Love', whilst the ever indulgent 'Wraith' still retains its glow. Things slow down for the first time with 'Float Forever' - a song which sounds deceivingly like its fellow album inhabitant 'California Daze' which, in the boxing ring, still emerges as the superior song.

It is midway through the album that we encounter the first of the In Love (Deluxe) bonus tracks (they have been interspersed throughout). 'Drain' is a song that has managed to forge itself a very special place within my heart. After the singles which, whilst having not lost their sparkle, have lost that early addictive satisfaction that comes when first falling in love with a song, 'Drain' is the song that really hits home with me, so much so that I find it positively scandalous that it is not included in the standard version of In Love, as it feels like such a pivotal benchmark within the album. Whilst at times Peace can feel rather precise, there is a deconstructed segment that makes the listener do a double take - as does the deceivingly premature ending found a little later on, it is the gem that standard edition owners have been robbed of. For me at least, the rest of the album is certainly a 'post-Drain' affair. That said, 'Delicious', 'Waste Of Paint', 'Toxic' and 'Sugarstone' are all what we'd expect from Peace, with 'Waste Of Paint' being a particular '90's infused anthem with a killer chorus. Other bonus tracks 'Step A Little Closer', 'Scumbag' and the Peace song, 'Bloodshake' only enhance what it an already strong album. Songs that I'd earmark for future singles would be 'Lovesick' and 'Waste Of Paint'.

Have Peace changed the indie rock world? The long and short of it is 'no', but it is not something for which I care, as for all their influences worn on the cuffs of their gaudy vintage shirts, Peace embody everything good about the nostalgia wave and re-work it into something fresh and relevant - because Peace can write good songs! - and quite frankly, this is all that I care about! ;D

Standard CD(10 track), Deluxe CD(14 track) and vinyl and MP3 editions of In Love are out now.

http://peaceforeverever.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/peaceforeverever
https://soundcloud.com/p-e-a-c-e
https://twitter.com/PEACE4EVEREVER

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 album releases.. 24th September

24 September 2012
Artist	Title
Green Day	¡Uno!
Ringo Deathstarr	Mauve
Mumford & Sons	Babel
Lucy Rose	Like I Used To
Tim Burgess	Oh No I Love You
Dark Horses	Everywhere
Cave Painting	Votive Life
Deerhoof	Breakup Song
Dum Dum Girls	End Of Daze EP
Grateful Dead	From The Mars Hotel
No Doubt	Push & Shove
Delta Spirit	Delta Spirit

courtesy of NME.com

New album releases.. 17th Sept

17 September 2012
Artist	Title
Mika	The Origin Of Love
How To Dress Well	Total Loss
Muse	2nd Law
The Killers	Battle Born
Catherine Irwin	Little Heater
We Are The Ocean	Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow
Dinosaur Jr.	I Bet on Sky
Grizzly Bear	Shields
Michael Jackson	Bad: 25th Anniversary Edition
Skunk Anansie	Blac Traffic
Joe Mcelderry	Here's What I Believe
Nelly Furtado	Spirit Indestructible
P!nk	The Truth About Love
The Killers	Battle Born
Rival Sons	Head Down
The Script	Three
Band of Horses	Mirage Rock
Kreayshawn	Somethin Bout Kreay
James Walsh	Lullaby
thenewo2	thefearofmissingout
Hey Sholay	((O))
Presets	Pacifica

courtesy of NME.com

New album releases.. 10th September

10 September 2012
Artist	Title
David Byrne & St Vincent	Love This Giant
Toy	Toy
The Raveonettes	The Observator
The XX	Coexist
A$AP Rocky	LongLiveA$AP
Gallows	Gallows
The Dead Formats	At Sixes And Sevens
Tender Trap	Ten Songs About Girls
Needtobreathe	The Reckoning
Amanda Palmer	Theatre Is Evil
Lonsdale Boys Club	Lonsdale Boys Club
The Nieighbourhood	I'm Sorry

courtesy of NME.com

New album releases.. 3rd September

3 September 2012
Artist	Title
The Milk	Tales from the Thames Delta
Cat Power	Sun
imamiwhoami	Kin
The Vaccines	Come Of Age
Mark Knopfler	Privateering
Jens Lekman	I Know What Love Is
Metronomy	Late Night Tales
The Fresh & Onlys	Long Slow Dance
Animal Collective	Centipede Hz
Two Door Cinema Club	Beacon
Freddie Mercury	Barcelona: Special Edition
Dinosaur Jr	I Bet On Sky

courtesy of NME.com

New album releases.. 27th Aug

27 August 2012
Artist	Title
Matthew Dear	Beams
Race Horses	Furniture
Dan Deacon	America
Wild Nothing	Nocturne
Alanis Morissette	Havoc and Bright Lights
Brandy	Two Eleven
Modestep	Evolution Theory
Rita Ora	Ora
Dot Rotten	Voices In My Head
King Creosote	To Deal With Things
Chilly Gonzalez	Solo Piano Ii
Lower Than Atlantis	World Record
The Milk	Tales From The Thames Delta
The Noisettes	Contact

courtesy of NME.com

New album releases.. 20th Aug

20 August 2012
Artist	Title
Yeasayer	Fragrant World
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti	Mature Themes
The Orb feat Lee Scratch Perry	The Orbsever in the Star House
Cate Le Bon	CYRK II
Aiden Grimshaw	Misty Eye
Teengirl Fantasy	Tracer
Bloc Party	Four
Owl City	The Midsummer Station
The Darkness	Hot Cakes
JJ Doom	Key To The Kuffs
Jessie Ware	Devotion
J Cole	Better Than Your Average
Dylan LeBlanc	Cast The Same Old Shadow

courtesy of NME.com

New album releases.. 13th Aug

13 August 2012
Artist	Title
Aiden Grimshaw	Misty Eye
Jessie Ware	Devotion
Spector	Enjoy It While It Lasts
The-Dream	Love IV MMXII
Kreayshawn	Something 'bout Kreay
Incubus	Incubus HQ Live
Pure Love	TBC
Don Broco	Priorities
Diplo	Express Yourself EP
Smash Mouth	Astro Lounge
While She Sleeps	This Is The Six
Insane Clown Posse	Might Death Pop
Toddla T	Watch Me Dance (Agitated) - Remix Album
WHY?	Sod In The Seed EP
OF Monsters & Men	My Head Is An Animal

courtesy of NME.com

New album releases.. 6th Aug

6 August 2012
Artist	Title
While She Sleeps	This Is The Six
Antony & The Johnsons	Cut The World
Beat Connection	The Palace Garden
Roxy Music	The Complete Studio Recordings
Midnight Beast	Midnight Beast
Turbonegro	Sexual Harassment
Eugene McGuinnes	The Invitation To The Voyage
Rob Zombie	Mondo Sex Head (Remix LP)
Patti Smith	The Document (CD & DVD)
Kanye West	Cruel Summer

courtesy of NME.com

New album releases.. 30th July

30 July 2012
Artist	Title
Plan B	Ill Manors
Oberman Knocks	Beatcroff Slabs
Josh Osho	L.I.F.E
Kyla LA Grange	Ashes
Delilah	From The Roots Up
Lightships	Fear and Doubt EP
Conor Maynard	Contrast
The Antlers	Undersea EP
Nick Cave	Collectors Edition
Rick Ross	God Forgives, I Don't
Reel Big Fish	Candy Coated Fury
Blur	The Box

courtesy of NME.com

Very excited for the Delilah album! Hopefully, it'll land in my post soon and I'll be able to play the hell out of it!

New Waves.. Bloc Party - 'Octopus'

Bloc Party ended their hiatus by debuting their new single, 'Octopus', the first since their 2008 third album, 'Intimacy'.

'Octopus' is a typical Bloc Party song, jangling guitars, beeps and a rapid rhythm section, a Bloc Party somewhat removed from the experimenting of 'Intimacy' and perhaps sounding nearer to the sound of their earlier songs of debut Silent Alarm than the efforts following said first album.

However, despite the catchiness, something feels a tad underwhelming. Perhaps a punchier, more hard hitting song would have been more fitting for a comeback single. Despite this, I'm still looking forward to the release of their imaginatively titled fourth album, Four ;)

'Octopus' is available to download now.
Four will be released 20th June.

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

New album releases .. 25th July

23 July 2012
Artist	Title
Passion Pit	Gossamer
The Gaslight Anthem	Handwritten
Huw M	Gathering Dusk
David Ward	The Arrival
Golden Retriever	Occupied With The Unspoken
Purity Ring	Shrines
Of Monsters & Men	My Head Is An Animal
Kimbra	Vows
Luke Ritchie	The Water's Edge
Herve	Pick Me Up, Sort Me Out, Calm Me Down
Frankie Rose	Know Me EP
Lucy Rose	Lines
Micachu & The Shapes	Never
Fang Island	Major
Keaton Henson	Lucky EP

courtesy of NME.com

New album releases.. 11th June 2012

11 June 2012
Artist	Title
Bleech	Nude
Bleech	Nude
Light Asylum	Light Asylum
Amanda Mair	Amanda Mair
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs	Trouble
Hot Chip	In Our Heads
Maximo Park	National Health
Dent May	Do Things
AlunaGeorge	You Know You Like It EP
Future Of The Left	The Plot Against Common Sens
A Place To Bury Strangers	Worship
Motion City Soundtrack	Go
The Tallest Man On Earth	There's No Leaving Now
The Hundred In The Hands	Red Night
Usher	Looking For Myself
Bobby Womack	The Bravest Man In The Universe
Guided By Voices	Class Clown Spots A UFO

courtesy of NME.com

New album releases.. 4th June 2012

4 June 2012
Artist	Title
Ladyhawke	Anxiety
Dexy's	One Day I'm Going To Soar
The Plea	The Dreamer's Stadium
Sebastien Tellier	My God Is Blue
Crocodiles	Endless Flowers
Volcano!	Pinata
Bear Driver	Bear Driver
Teen Daze	All Of Us, Together
The Walkmen	Heaven
Dinowalrus	Best Behaviour
Everything But The Girl	Reissues
Friends	Manifest
Liars	WIXIW
Neil Young & Crazy Horse	Americana
Patti Smith	Banga
Kaiser Chiefs	Souvenir: The Singles Collection
The Beach Boys	That's Why God Made The Radio
The Hives	Lex Hives
Funeral Suits	Lily Of The Valley

 courtesy of NME.co
m

Rapid Review.. Pure Love - 'Bury My Bones'

Now. I first happened upon this song on MTV Rocks on a mid-week 2.a.m where I was utterly tired and also utterly unwilling to move from my perch on the sofa and upstairs to my bed, despite it seducing me intently. When this first appeared on screen, it took more than a few seconds to realise that it was a post-Gallows Frank Carter practically crooning in a suit to throwback '80's and somewhat similar to The Darkness, minus the tongue in cheek element. Even the video itself is all cheesy kaleidoscopic camera effects. I don't think I blinked for 3 minutes, whilst I coordinated breathing and catching flies.

I think you see where I'm going with this.

Anyone familiar with Gallow's angsty hardcore punk such as 'In the Belly of a Shark' with Carter's rage and screeching will be similarly shocked by such a departure.

But I like it.

It's so radically different and unexpected that it will no doubt polarise audiences and lose him the more fickle half of his fanbase, that many would consider it career suicide. But all of a sudden, Frank Carter comes across as likable and somewhat accessable, stating his mission early on in the opening lines 'I'm so sick and tired of singing about hate/ It's never going to make a change. / It breaks me down bit by bit/ Keep me steadily feeling sick'. He is clearly aiming for something lighter than Gallows. Musically, the song feels familiar and nostalgic, as previously mentioned.

It was a risk that may still swing either may, but the song may be catchy enough to pull it off.

You can get 'Bury My Bones'  as a free download on the band's website, http://therealpurelove.com/

Concerning this blog..

Hi, just a quick post to describe some of the sections that I aim to include within this blog.

My original intentions for this blog, as with my previous blog, was for it to primarily be used as a space for me to practice review writing, as an ambition of mine since prior to taking my A-Levels was to be a journalist in some manner, not necessisarily in current affairs, but erring towards this areas that I take and interest in, such as music. Therefore any reviews that I write here will be written as if I were intending to submit them for publication.

Other than that, a few of my favourite bloggers in the bloggosphere dedicate there websites to fashion. I may dip into such waters sporadically, especially if the aforementioned clothing/fashion business idea comes into fruition. I may attempt to customise and/or make things to keep my creative juices flowing.

Another thing that I have been considering which may be drawn from those music/fashion intended blog posts would be a 'Wonder Woman of the Week' feature, whereby I choose a person whom I find inspirational and write a post in an attempt to bringing you around to my point of view! ;)

Apart from that, all I have to talk about is my day to day life which is, at the moment, particularly uninteresting!

So that's it!

New Waves.. 2:54 - 'Scarlet'

You may or may not have heard of a band named 2:54, but you should! Getting the perfect balance between gritty and eerie, 'Scarlet' is from their self-titled first album which is out now, and which I know I'll most certainly be getting. I'll most likely write a review when I do, it's already been pretty well received.

Also, I need new favourite bands please, mine have a habit of splitting up. Recommendations?