alt-J review - This Is All Yours

After the loss of a member, the release of a few singles and excitement building, indie experimental heroes alt-J have gifted the world once again with the release of their second album. This Is All Yours finally is all ours, and it's a good one. (The prize for understatement of the year goes to...)

It starts off with a track called Intro, just like 2012 Mercury Prize winning debut album An Awesome Wave, which kicks off the proceedings in the only way Leeds band alt-J know how: unconventionally. Two minutes of "lalalala" and odd noises make way for frontman Joe Newman's muffled vocals, then more odd noises and the song's over. I think it's a pretty good introduction to the band for those who haven't listened to them before. 

This Is All Yours artwork

Next are the first two in a series of three tracks on the album with 'Nara' in the title: Arrival in Nara, Nara, and the third, the penultimate track on the album, Leaving Nara. I did have to Google it but it appears that Nara is a place in Japan. My favourite of the three is Nara; a soft, drum backbone supports beautiful vocals, tinkling piano and even a bit of dubstep. 

Recent singles Every Other Freckle and Left Hand Free follow, the former featuring lyrics that could almost rival those of Fitzpleasure from their first album. ("Turn you inside out and lick you like a crisp packet." is a particularly memorable snippet.) The latter is a song I adore; the repeating acoustic guitar riff is constantly worming around inside my mind and possibly brings the listener closer to reality than other tracks. But they don't want that. Cue a trademark background-noise-filled interlude to reduce the chances even more of alt-J ever creating a "normal" record. 

Slow burner Choice Kingdom then precedes lead single Hunger of the Pine (featuring a sample from a Miley Cyrus track) and Warm Foothills, with a male/female duet that alternates within the lines; as in, they finish each other's sentences. It's definitely not cheesy though. 

Well timed handclaps and breathing movements form the background for The Gospel of John Hurt, a song written about that one scene from Alien that everyone knows about, whether they've seen it or not. It's a very catchy tune. Then comes gorgeous, melodic, falsetto filled Pusher, a certain highlight, but it's the following song that I was most excited to listen to when I first saw the track listing. Bloodflood pt.II is the follow up to the incredible Bloodflood from their debut, and has some of the same lyrics as the first, including "Dead in the middle of the C-O-double M-O-N". I was very thankful to not be disappointed; in fact, I think it's the best track on the album. It's a brilliant part of a brilliant record.

This Is All Yours is available to listen to now on Spotify, and is released officially on Monday 22nd September. Preorder it on iTunes here and on CD or vinyl here. 

Written by Molly McGrath

Childhood review - Lacuna

Founded in 2010, London based indie haze-pop band Childhood had built up quite a fanbase even before the release of more than a couple of singles, thanks mainly to various festival appearances and a support slot on Palma Violet's 2013 'Rattlesnake Rodeo' tour. This fanbase can only get bigger, and will do quickly now that debut album Lacuna has been revealed to the world.

The album has a strong start, in the form of a re-recording of first ever single Blue Velvet. Catchy guitar melodies and soft drums lace singer Ben Romans-Hopcraft's lazy vocals on this lo-fi recording, giving it a sweet, summery feel.

 

The same summery feel carries on throughout the record, through the angelic backing vocals and singalong chorus of second track You Could Be Different, to the melodically brilliant saunter of As I Am, and onwards. Unfortunately, listening to the next two tracks is a much more forgettable affair; they shows how varied their influences are but, with no stand-out moments, don't sound like the Childhood I've come to know and love. I can't see them being live highlights, either.

Thankfully, things pick up again after that. Sweeter Preacher is a joyful bound through layers and layers of noise as Ben demands "Show me the way to your soul!" as though he's lost amongst the layers too. It's straight past the cymbals and left at the distortion, Ben. Tides provides a nice cool down period after the excitement of the previous track, sounding more smooth R&B than indie rock, but still with the Childhood slant plastered all over it.

My personal highlight of the record is previous single and potentially best known song, Solemn Skies. A gentle build up provided by a constant drum beat brings the listener swirling into the fantastically uplifting chorus section, with plenty of backing vocals and just the right level of echo.




Pay For Cool is the song on the album that most makes me want to dance; its strong riffs and funky backbone allow an upbeat transition into final track: the hazy, almost trance-inducing When You Rise. It's as though they placed it last in order to hypnotise you into thinking "Wow, that was the best album I've ever heard" because the last minute and a half of distortion and fuzz is certainly show-stopping enough to make you forget about the weaker points.

Live, Childhood are a treat. On record, maybe less so, but enough, I hope, to make you want to get tickets to see them. With this album they've proved that they're not just the pretty faces of the indie-pop world.

Get Lacuna here and see tour dates here. 

Written by Molly McGrath

Review: So Long, See You Tomorrow - Bombay Bicycle Club

9/10

It had been three years since A Different Kind of Fix and fans were starting to become restless. The creators of the album had kept a low profile for most of these three years, until, one day, a new album was announced. Those fans were restless no more. 

Bombay Bicycle Club's fourth album came out earlier this week and being a die-hard Bombay fan, I found it quite hard to fault. I have to admit, I did feel quite impatient during the three year gap between Bombay's third and fourth albums. This may come across as biased, seeing as I am a huge BBC fan, but, So Long, See You Tomorrow, was 100% worth the wait and one of the best albums of 2014 (so far). It is absolutely stunning, sounds very different to the previous Bombay sound but makes me feel so special, as if the band were holding a private gig in my front room. 
I'd heard that the whole album was inspired by Jack Steadman's travels, so I was unsure of what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. 

The first track, Overdone, feels like a song that you would wake up to, to then find yourself in a heaven-like paradise. There are violins, clarinets, and many other orchestral instruments which would be amazing to see live. It flows so well into It's Alright Now, a song that you can imagine slightly drunk hippies dancing away to in the middle of a field (in the best way possible of course). Carry Me is next which really doesn't need explaining. IT'S SUCH A GOOD SONG. I found myself singing the riff on the tube the other day and someone opposite acknowledged the song and we smiled for one short moment. Home by Now is the song where Jack Steadman could have reached a traditional town in Sweden during his travels. It's so happy and carefree. You could say that Luna is the United States of the album. It sounds hopeful, powerful and inspiring and has a good walking pace, so could be quite encouraging.  Come To is one of my favourites on the album. Like many second-before-last tracks, it's the calming down song, a preparation for the last final phenomenon. The final song does sadly, eventually arrive and what a way to end a fantastic album! So Long, See You Tomorrow is a six minute extravaganza of every sound on the album (and perhaps even their previous albums) put together. Obviously, it is a great extravaganza and by the time it is all finished, it shall make you realise how good Bombay Bicycle Club actually are. I hope you had realised that before. 

-Amy

The Family Rain - Under The Volcano album review

After months of hype, debut album Under The Volcano by Bath's The Family Rain is finally out of the studio and onto the shelves. The deluxe version comprises of thirteen songs, kicking off with Carnival, which they previously released a different version of as a free download early last year. The new version (from the album) is less frantic and seemingly more mature, with added "ooooh"s for effect. Personally, I prefer the original version; raw and gritty, just how I like it, although the new one seems more fitting with the album. Next up are singles Trust Me... I'm A Genius and Feel Better (FRANK), both of which are fast-paced, in line with most of the rest of the record, and include kick-ass riffs from all members of the band, each making you want to move as much as the other.
In contrast to this, fourth track Don't Waste Your Time provides the darkest moment of the album; a slower affair, it's the song that makes you stop and think amidst the raucous of the rest. Frontman Will Walter, with backing vocals from his brothers, repeats the lyric "Don't waste your time on me, I will only let you down" with increasing intensity, until you start to believe it. Intriguingly, this track seems to have stemmed from the hidden track from the Trust Me... I'm A Genius 7" record, entitled Memento, which is INCREDIBLY dark and intense (I love it), even more so than the album track.
Following this are Reason To Die, accompanied by Kasabian-esque wails, and the extremely melodic Binocular and On My Back. Binocular is an oxymoron in a song - an upbeat, happy-happy tune but with lyrics that, in my eyes, tell the tale of a break-up which resulted in one party stalking the other, through his binoculars. Creepy.

The extremely catchy Pushing It is next, followed by slow-starter Together, one of the more forgettable tracks from the record, and then my personal favourite All The Best. The latter is a song full of sentiment and feeling, one that would be a brilliant gig-closer as it would probably provoke a huge, festival style singalong to Will's crooning of "When my world is ending / And I'm dealt a final breath / I will fill my lungs for one last time / And wish you all the best."
The penultimate two tracks are White Marble Soup, which I could imagine being sung by an old American swinging on his rocking chair on his porch with a straw hat on, and Alexander, about someone (called Alexander, funnily enough) whose mother has died, but he doesn't mind because she left him some money in her will. How lovely.
Finally is another previous single, Friction; whining guitar riffs and handclaps included, it is a well chosen end to a marvellous album from the brothers from Bath. I would recommend this album to all those who have not listened to The Family Rain yet, and, of course, all those who have. Written by Molly McGrath

7.5/10

Secret EP // Boys

Boys – Secrets EP

A relatively new band on the music scene are Boys, a 3 piece band from West London their second EP – Secrets only came out a matter of days ago but is already building in popularity.

The first song shares the same name as the EP, Secrets:

It starts off with a synth intro almost reminding me of King City // Swim Deep but the song starts to have some prominent drums and Splashh – esque  vocals with a very mysterious feel with the repeated lyrics such as ‘you’re the only one that I want’. Soon enough the guitar takes over the vocals and really stands out for me in this track, the song keeps this same pattern throughout but does not get boring or repetitive.

Heartbreaker:

This track really reminds me of the strongly acclaimed Peace it has the same mix of uplifting guitar but once again the vocals add a real Splashh sense to it.  This song has a really catchy element within it and will be stuck in your head for days on end. The guitar riffs really stand out against the dark vocals therefore making this song a very weird mix of both uplifting and dark elements.

Bad Intentions:

This song has a completely different vibe to the previous tracks it starts off with a very distorted guitar sound and whereas with this one some early vocals coming in adding to the distorted unique sound of this song, the drums and guitar mix really reminds me of the duo Drenge. This slowly fades into a much more uplifting song and for me this is the best on the EP.

I managed to get a word in with Boys via twitter to get some idea on the inspiration for their EP:

1.     What or who were your main inspirations for the EP?                                                                            ‘The ep is mainly about love and friendships about us all in the band. Was good to write lyrics that meant a lot to us’

2.     How would you describe your sound?

‘For this ep we ditched the lofi sound of previous recordings. We wanted to take more time with it and come out with a clearer sound, we like to call our sound bedroom pop as we record in our bedroom.’

3.     Who are some of your favorite current artists?

‘At the moment were loving bands like diiv smith westerns pains of being pure at heart. They are big influences on us, also loving king krule at the min.’

4.     Where do you get your inspiration for your songs from (lyrics and music wise)?

‘We tend to write lyrics about how were feeling and what's happening in our lives. We also tend to try and create a sound which matches our mood. With this ep being quite dark compared to the summer vibes of our first ep’

Listen to Boys new Ep – Secrets here: http://boysuk.bandcamp.com/album/secrets-epBoys 

- Nina (s0utrippin)

Lorde - Pure Heroine Review

8/10

I see Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor, more commonly known as Lorde, as one of the best female singers out there. She is a proud feminist (if you follow my twitter or read my own blog, you will know that this makes me extremely happy) her hair is godly, she likes King Krule and she’s just cool all over really. Another thing is that she is only 16 (17 tomorrow actually)! Most 16(almost 17) year olds are probably revising for their GCSE’s or partying till the night’s end(although I know that this is mostly not true). 
Lorde’s first EP ‘The Love Club’ which came out in late 2012 was a success as it came in at number two in New Zealand and Australia charts. Her second EP ‘The Tennis Court EP’ was also a success and the single ‘Tennis Court’ debuted at number 1 in the New Zealand singles chart! 

Pure Heroine was released on 27th September this year (a day after my birthday!) and has recently been pasted all over iTunes. The album starts with the well known ‘Tennis Court’ which is very catchy and quite mysterious like most of Lorde’s songs. The opening line “Don’t you think that it’s boring how people talk” has left me confused. I choose to be left confused. ‘400 lux’ is a strange song and starts with an almost air-siren-sounding noise. Then the supposedly over-played ‘Royals’ is in third followed by ‘Ribs’, a slow soft piece which reminds me of the opening of a Grimes song. My personal favourite track ‘Buzzcut Season’ (now the free single of the week on iTunes!) is an echoey chant which breaks into very uplifting melodies, then falls back down into a kind of selfish-sounding few lines of lyrics which repeats. The whole album ends with the track ‘A World Alone’ which you can imagine being played when you’re with friends on a beach, the sun is setting and you really just don’t care about anything so you go and run into the sea. It feels like that to me anyway. 

Amy x