Drones- ‘Mutiny’ (December 2011)- Lock Jaw Records

     Surrey-born Drones were formed in early 2010 due to an aspiration to create likeable music and significant lyrics concerning social and political issues that are often overlooked in modern music. With inspiration from the likes of NOFX, The Clash, Rancid and Anti-Flag, Drones managed to personally organise a video-shoot for single ‘Shells Fall, Pins Pulled’ with vocalist Daly George’s long-term friend Theo Marlow. This was greeted with fan-driven chaos over the internet and over 1,000 views on YouTube within one week.

     In June 2011, the trio became the first punk band to play the student music festival ‘Beach Break Live’ Drones wrote ‘Mutiny’ with an experimental drive in mind including marching snares and megaphone effects, which do not reflect the album’s overall budget of £60. Towards the end of recording in August this year, Drones were approached by Lock Jaw Records and happily accepted, helping them to organise a UK tour this month.

    The artwork of ‘Mutiny’ was created by Mitchell Thomas and depicts a character protesting against the government. The album commences with ‘Jack Won’t’, a heavy yet melodic drum and bass rock offering, in which vocals are deemed somewhat unimportant. The instrumentation in particular, is very well produced, especially for such a young band. Drones’ Rise Against style, however, does not bode well in title track ‘Mutiny’ or ‘Thursday’s A Full Moon’, as they are rather rapid, making the lyrics difficult to understand for such an issue based band. 

Mitchell Thomas' Artwork for 'Mutiny'

   

     As the album continues, it does so in much of the same format; with good instrumentation and overall 

production but sweeping vocals and emotion. ‘The Jester’ is made up of faint drumming, weak vocals and rhythmic guitar, which may be decent stand-alone elements, but do not work when blended together. ‘Spite’ and ‘Assassins of Youth’ start in much the same speedy way, but seem to speed into nothing but another weak couple of tracks.

     The band’s single that was released earlier this year, ‘Shells Fall, Pins Pulled’ is as bad and ineffective as its title, with unrythmic vocals that do not mix together whatsoever. It is definitely not the successful single bands and artists dream of. From start to finish, each track builds into nothing significant and appear to end so abruptly that it leaves the listener in a daze or resentment for the music, and ‘The Static Truth’ is no different. 

Drones

          ‘Raise The Arms’ and ‘Watch It Burn’ partner up perfectly with the skip button, despite their more gentle tone, and final track ‘Call Your Own’ is no variation on the rest of ‘Mutiny’. Overall, the instrumentation works well for minor moment, until it is utterly tarnished by useless shouted vocals and random thrashes of guitar and drumming.

2/5

Everything On Red- ‘Songs For Sirens’ (10/12/2011) Lock Jaw Records

     Everything On Red have a wide range of influences from various pop punk and power pop artists and bands that have help constructed an undefinable, individual sound. Perhaps Everything On Red being a little older than other just-starting-out rock bands has given them a massive advantage with regards to what they can actually do. The band claim to have crunching guitars, sweeping snyths and heartfelt melodies, they have a sentimentality-driven, rich and diverse sound, only some of which turn out to be true. 

     Vocal duties are split between all three band members, showcasing how talented they all are, and worthy of touring with bands such as Hadouken! and Twin Atlantic. They have also embarked on a number of headline tours around the UK themselves. Everything On Red’s debut album ‘Rotator’, which was released back in November 2009, allowed them success with their single ‘Heart’s on the Rock-based T.V channel ‘Lava’, as well as various radio stations.

Songs For Sirens: Artwork

     This Biffy Clyro, Saves the Day and Brand New inspired band has an incredibly unique style that can only be loosely linked to other artists and bands. First and second tracks ‘Welcome to the Sundown’ and ‘Pull The Pin and Count to What’ are two very stand-alone tracks. The cheery tones have not been captured so well by a decent band since HelloGoodbye’s successful days. The bright and light harmonies reflect the innocent undertone, and unfortunate harmlessness of Everything On Red’ work.

     ‘We Never Stop’ is a speedy, yet somehow dull track that depicts the band’s ability to be different, but an unfortunate lack of great music, emotion or abundance of likeable talent. ‘Tribute to Tragedy’ promises to be ‘Songs For Sirens’ token heartbreaker, yet disappoints with limp harmonies and unnecessary bleeping synths mixed with half-decent drumming. ‘Wishful Thinking’ is particularly laughable with its high-pitched synth squeaks that do not differ from demos on a Yamaha. Even final track ‘All The Best Adventures’ begins with an immature version of Yellowcard’s wonderful style and does not develop into anything decent.

Everything On Red: Promo Shoot

    On paper, Everything On Red appear to have unbreakable potential but in their desperate attempts to stand out from other bands and their own influences, they have created chirpy, emotionless babble that fails to portray any great talent. 

2/5

Always The Quiet Ones- ‘Freak Show’ EP (05/03/2012 –Self Released)

      Always The Quiet Ones are an alternative rock/metal-esque band from Liverpool who boast old school undertones and claim to have a unique sound setting them apart from other rock bands. Their sound is somewhat similar to Biffy Clyro’s earlier work with a fluid blend of vocals, scream and instrumentation. With a double A-side single set to be released from the boys in late April 2012, ‘Freak Show’ bares much importance to their musical future.

     The band has boasted to be ‘five sharp, forward-thinking individuals who began their careers supporting the likes of Deaf Havana and Mojo Fury. This enhanced appreciation from old and new fans alike, as well as praise from more underground alternative-rock based press for their unusual sound for the modern listener. With influences from bands such as Deftones, A Perfect Circle and Biffy Clyro, the dynamic fivesome make attempts throughout their EP to use these influences as lose guides, rather than falling into the common trap of recreating their work.

Always The Quiet Ones: 'Freak Show' EP artwork

     ‘Freak Show’ sets off steaming rapidly with the Led Zeppelin style ‘Sign of The Times’, which portrays the band’s natural ability to blend different types of vocals very well. Each vocal type is also very striking and yet intriguing. It is very unusual in this day and age to listen to such a young band performing old school inspired work so well, particularly in a somewhat unique manner.

     The quintet’s EP is chock-a-block with riffs, various time-signatures and nothing short of infectious melodies thrown in for good measure. ‘Valentina’ illustrates a more modern style that, unfortunately is not so successful. However, their rock-based harmonies are stunning and prove how rammed with hope their music is. Blas Barragan Jr.’s beautiful lead vocals are mesmerising and really drive the track.

Always The Quiet Ones

     Third and final title track ‘Freak Show’ conveys Always The Quiet Ones’ Deftones-style inspiration throughout, with a gentle metal introduction, leading into gentle, melodic verses and a powerful chorus with yet more wonderful harmonies.

     The instrumentation and various vocals blends throughout ‘Freak Show’ depict how hard the band have worked on it, their brilliant musical abilities and influences, and paints a painfully bright future for them.

4/5

David Archuleta – 'The Other Side of Down' (05/10/2010- Jive Records)

     Twenty-year-old David Archuleta rose to fame in the seventh season of ‘American Idol’ in 2008 when he finished as the runner-up. Archuleta grew up near Salt Lake City where he often sung in church and won several amateur awards in his younger years. His third album, ‘The Other Side of Down’ went on sale on the 5^th of October 2010 in promotion of the singer-songwriter’s tour of Southeast Asia.


          First and title track, ‘The Other Side of Down’ puts Archuleta’s gentle yet soulful tones and show from the offset. His vocal abilities are wonderful both live and on record and his songwriting skills are relevant, individual and enjoyable. Moreover, his rapidly changing vocal range is astonishing for someone who originated from a T.V talent show, as they are often severely criticised for churning out average artists. ‘Something ‘Bout Love’ was released as a single on the 20^th July 2010 and utilises modern, if a little cheap sounding voice effects. However, they do not take from the exquisite tone of David’s vocals in this chirpy, without being cheesy track; uplifting in all the right ways despite the addition of squeaky club textures towards the end.


   ‘Elevator’ was released through radio airplay on the 14^th of September 2010,and it is another well-written, soulful and joyful song. Although it follows a similar format to much of Mika’s material, that is not to be criticised. It is startling to hear such a staggering vocal range and musical ability in every single track. Even with the bouncy backbeats of ‘Stomping The Roses’, Archuleta’s remarkable talent is never sacrificed, and despite the fact that he appears to have no specific listener range in mind, the music is likeable to anyone with a good ear. One can imagine, judging from the gentle build up of songs like ‘Who I Am’, as well as nice harmonies, that Archuleta’s live shows are very well put together. The combination of his voice and light piano is nothing short of fantastic.

'The Other Side of Down': Artwork

    The pained emotion of tracks like ‘Falling Stars’ truly reflects that negative feelings make the best music; this song is stunning as sentimental, so the faint progressive drumming is unfortunate. Archuleta’s voice is strong enough to work simply with guitar or piano so some of the sweeping beats and string sections, as found in ‘Parachutes and Airplanes’ are somewhat distracting. However, tracks do need some build-up, and sadly often include poor tracks to fill album space, such as ‘Look Around’, which David’s voice cannot even save. ‘Good Place’ is a similar composition to ‘Crush’(2008) until the epic chorus hits, by which point, the constant voice echoes and repetitions have become extremely overused on ‘The Other Side of Down.’ 


     Even the artwork of ‘The Other Side of Down’ itself is somewhat generic, which is most likely not Archuleta’s intention but that of his record label and manager who want to remind listeners of where Archuleta came to be. Interestingly, ‘Complain’ is another impressive track, but is very similar in sound to James Morrison’s ‘You Make It Real’ (2008). The format of each track and the album overall is very good, which continues for the final two tracks ‘Things Are Gonna Get Better’, which is so optimistic it reflects David’s religious roots, and piano-led ‘My Kind of Perfect’ gives listeners a final, breathtaking hit of his superb talent.

David Archuleta

    ‘The Other Side of Down’ is exceedingly cheery without being too bubblegum based, and it really reveals the talent and abundance of future potential for David Archuleta.


4/5

Snow Patrol – Fallen Empires (11/11/2011- Fiction/Interscope Records)

     Snow Patrol, an alternative rock band from Bangor in Northern Ireland, came together in 1994 as an indie band. After countless tours, line-up changes, many awards and award nominations, T.V appearances, five studio albums (with sales of up to 11 million) and one greatest hits compilation, ‘Up To Now’ (2009), and worldwide success, Snow Patrol’s sixth record was released on the 11^th of November this year. ‘Fallen Empires’ marks the band taking their time to write a personal organic album, that fans all over the world have patiently waited for.

     ‘Fallen Empires’ showcases a completely different side to Snow Patrol’s music; less intensely emotional and more electronic and experimental in the best way possible. ‘I’ll Never Let You Go’ opens with a faint, progressive drum beat that wouldn’t go a loss on a U2 track, reflecting the band’s developmental aspirations, despite already having sold out several dates at the 16,000 capacity O2 Arena in London next February. Their amazing accomplishments so far have unlocked innumerable doors for them in terms of sound, yet they have retained fundamentals of their work such as dynamic light and shade and spectacular harmonies.                                         
    
    What is interesting about Snow Patrol is that they never compromise vocals for instrumentation or vice versa, which many big alternative bands tend to do; each musical element is immaculately composed and produced. ‘Called Out In The Dark’ was released as a single on the 2^nd of September this year with several bonus tracks and peaked at number 11 in the UK Singles Chart. Although nothing spectacular, Gary Lightbody’s vocals have always been mild yet remarkable. Unfortunately, the gentle tones of Snow Patrol’s sound can be a little overbearing for an entire album, although ‘The Weight of Love’ is a great blend of tender vocals and thumping drumming, as well as gang vocals that are neither Christmassy or strident.

'Fallen Empires': Artwork

     ‘This Isn’t Everything You Are’ shows Snow Patrol sticking too rigidly to their self-created format of hushed verses and powerful, yet un-anthemic or pop based choruses. Its indie gang harmonies show the band’s experimental side and potential for utterly new material such as piano based ‘The Garden Rules’ which illustrates the passion and warmth of Snow Patrol’s music, as well as their beautiful, slow-burning melodies. The input of female vocals also gives a realistic, feet-firmly-on-the-ground feel. Title track ‘Fallen Empires’ is as chirpy as Coldplay’s latest work and as likeably odd as a Mumford and Sons song. Although, the band’s constant battle to shake their dad-rock ridden image leads them to chose style over substance at times.


      Average ‘Berlin’ is ridden with overly ordinary and repetitive gang vocals, which are overused a great deal in ‘Fallen Empires’ when in actual fact, fans want to hear the band fundamentally. The soothing, lullaby style of ‘Life-ning’, a somewhat confusing song title, may reflect why some shun Snow Patrol as drab. But Lightbody’s cyclic tunes are comforting to many. ‘New York’ and ‘In The End’ are massive, consoling, yet sweeping songs until ‘New York’ progresses into wondrous string sections on a scale of the likes of Elbow. However, although much of the album is raw, some moments from ‘In The End’ actually appear off-key. 

     The emotion of Snow Patrol’s older material is what placed their feet firmly on the alternative rock ladder, but the overuse of female vocals, probably due to the success of ‘Set Fire To The Third Bar’ takes from any potential the band themselves have, along with constant vocals. ‘The Symphony’ shows them dabbling in dance beats and power-pop interludes, and is consequently a welcomed addition to ‘Fallen Empires’. It is utterly contrasted to ‘The President’, which is yet another track developing into nothing. Although instrumentals can be a great element of albums, the arrangement and placement of ‘Broken Bottles Form A Star (Prelude)’ does not quite work.

Snow Patrol

     With ballads lacking strong sentiment or real substance and more up-tempo tracks lacking arena-filling features, ‘Fallen Empires’ is disappointing and does not convey the spectacular songwriting skills of frontman Gary Lightbody, or the musical abilities of the rest of the band.

3/5

The Wanted – Battleground (04/11/2011- Island Records)

     The Wanted is an Anglo-Irish boyband formed in 2009. Their debut single ‘All Time Low’, released in July 2010, peaked at number one in the UK for one week and provided the band with the perfect platform to start their career from. Following The Wanted’s first UK tour, their second studio album, ‘Battleground’, promoted by single ‘Glad You Came’, which also reached number one in the UK for two weeks, sold over 47,000 in its first week.

     ‘Glad You Came’ begins like a generic, pop ridden ballad with the simplest of piano chords leading the vocals, until it erupts into a studio-formed bleeping back beat, which is however, incredibly infectious. However, as much of The Wanted’s fanbase is very young, perhaps a club based track was not the best idea, although it does portray the progression of pop into what is considered pop music today. Yet the track ends as it begun, so it doesn’t quite work as a club track or a pop-based ballad, proving that the band have no ultra specific audience in mind. Having said that ‘Lightning’ appears to be using the club vibe as well. Also, it is never a great idea to open with your first single, unless the remainder of the record is just as good commercially, which, of course, it isn’t.

    Bouncing between trance dance-pop and mid-tempo pop ballads, Battleground is unoriginal and unexciting, which is not helped by drab, somewhat childish lyrics, ‘You’re in control pressing pause on my heartbeat. Someone stole all the air so I can’t speak.’ Yet, it seems like the verses of ‘Lightning’ were written by completely different people, or as if the verses haven’t been composed with any specific listeners in mind whatsoever. ‘Warzone’ is a very wavering attempt to create a haunting ballad and construct some sort of album theme, neither of which are successful. If the vocals were any good, they could be placed with a few guitar and piano chords, and perhaps a light drum beat, but it appears as if the pitch bend and voice-editing techniques have been used to hide a lack of strong talent.

Battleground: Not so much 'Artwork' as a generic band shot

      To be taken seriously, pop bands need to prove some sort of concrete musical ability, which makes The Wanted laughable in the face of bands who actually sing throughout their songs, without chucking in thumping clubbing beats here and there, and ‘Invincible’ is no different. The rising rhythmic vocals and back beat of ‘Last To Know’ are more tedious than the build up in a Meatloaf track. Back beats only work if they are abnormal and do not distract from the vocals, neither of which occurs in this track. Even when all instrumentation is dropped towards the end of the song and vocals are pushed stage-front, they dreadful, although the ending is very good.


   Behind the mostly dire vocals, producer, Steve Mac has carefully considered track order; with good blend of ballads and pop pieces, but with tracks like ‘I’ll Be Your Strength’ combining both, it is difficult to work out which direction The Wanted want to head for. However, their current firm fanbase gives them some leeway for future creativity. ‘Rocket’ and ‘I Want It All’ lack anything that makes a song good, and ‘The Weekend’ uses a build up technique without a strong beat leading it, making it a train-wreck from the outset.
   
     ‘Lie To Me’ commences with eerie instrumentation disguising it as the opening of a metal track, but within twenty seconds it has seems to become a filler track, just like the majority of ‘Battleground’, but actually has a similar sound to Westlife or some of Take That’s more recent releases. This album is rounded off with ‘Gold Forever’ , the official 'Red Nose Day' single, yet another studio-constructed instrumentation and vocal mash-up that builds into a half-hearted dance track with recycled, choppy string sections from ‘All Time Low’.
  

     With unfortunately catchy, crappy tunes, rubbish vocals and an overuse of synth, ‘Battleground’ is basically two half decent singles and a bunch of quality-lacking fillers.

1/5     

The Wanted

‘Punk Goes Pop 4’ Will Be Released on 21st November 2011

The ‘Punk Goes…’ compilation series began in 2000, and Fearless Records have released their twelfth offering in ‘Punk Goes Pop 4’, which is set for UK release on the 21^st November 2011. The album features covers of current charttoppers (including Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’ and Nicki Minaj’s hit ‘Superbass’), from the likes of Go Radio, Pierce The Veil and I See Stars.  

     A Spotify playlist has been revealed, showcasing some of the best tracks from the ‘Punk Goes…’ series in a ‘best of’ format, and with many of the tracks now available from just 59p on ITunes to promote this new record. 

    Since its inception, the ‘Punk Goes…’ CDs have been a chance for those who are fundamentally into more mainstream music, to give punk a chance with covers of songs they already know well. They are also a chance for those already into punk, to hear their favourite bands doing something different.

     ‘Punk Goes Pop 4’ can be pre-ordered now from the likes of ITunes and Spotify, but if purchased directly from Fearless Records, fans will receive a complimentary wristband.

Tracklisting for ‘Punk Goes Pop 4’ is as follows: 1. The Ready Set - ‘Roll Up,’ Wiz Khalifa

                                          2. Allstar Weekend - ‘Yeah 3x,’ Chris Brown

                                          3. Go Radio - ‘Rolling In The Deep,’ Adele                                                                 

                                          4. I See Stars - ‘Till The World Ends,’ Britney Spears

                                          5. Pierce The Veil - ‘Just The Way You Are,’ Bruno Mars                                      

                                          6. Sleeping With Sirens - ‘F*** You,’ Cee Lo Green

                                           7. A Skylit Drive - ‘Love The Way You Lie,’ Eminem, feat. Rihanna

                                           8. Silverstein - ‘Runaway,’ Kanye West

                                           9. Woe, Is Me - ‘Last Friday Night (TGIF),’ Katy Perry                                           

                                           10. Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! - ‘We R Who We R,’ Ke$ha

                                           11. Tonight Alive - ‘Little Lion Man,’ Mumford & Sons

                                           12. The Downtown Fiction - ‘Super Bass,’ Nicki Minaj

                                           13. For All Those Sleeping - ‘You Belong With Me,’ Taylor Swift

The compilation of covers: Artwork

Download Links:

-       http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/punk-goes-pop-vol.-4/id478009465 (pre-order digitally)

-       http://tinyurl.com/PunkGoesPop4 (pre-order directly from Fearless for a free wristband)

YouTube Links:

-       http://www.youtube.com/embed/07-YCv1tLRg

-       http://youtu.be/07-YCv1tLRg

McFly – Radio:ACTIVE (20/07/2008) - Super/EMI International Records:

     ‘Radio:ACTIVE’ is pop punker’s McFly’s fourth studio album, released free with the Mail On Sunday on the 20^th of July 2008, and officially (including a deluxe edition) on the 22^nd of September 2008. It was the first release under the band’s new self-constructed record label after the band came together back in 2004.

     Released as a single on the 6^th September 2008, first track ‘Lies’ charted 4^th in the UK, and depicts the playful esque ‘Radio:ACTIVE’ offers with a dark edge projected in the music video. The familiar combination of Tom Fletcher’s and Danny Jones’ (also a co-producer) vocals with bouncy string sections and start and stop instrumentation patterns display McFly’s progression from their ‘Five Colours In Her Hair’ days. Although somewhat repetitive, the track builds up into a great example of the band’s talents with regards to instruments, production and songwriting.

     ‘One For The Radio’ is a jaunty, and ironically radio-perfect song which was originally simply called ‘Radio’. It conveys McFly’s want to by different from other, more conventional bands and artists on the airwaves, ‘here’s another lie from the heart.’ It reached number two in the UK singles charts from the 9^th of July 2008 and aimed to bring fans together as it was never intended to be a fundamentally negative track. The punchy breakdown ‘We don’t, we don’t care’ leads wonderfully into Jones’ top notch vocals that inevitably become harsher as the chorus breaks out for the final time.

Radio:ACTIVE'S artwork

     Third track ‘Everybody Knows’ is an optimistically driven song about growing up in a band rather than going onto further education or common careers like others, like McFly chose. It is well produced and sure to be a hit at concerts with a elevating yet gentle guitar solos, gang vocals and an uplifting tone. ‘Radio:ACTIVE’s’ third single ‘Do Ya’ has all the instrumental poise of a Queen song with a pop backbone, along with various tempos and tones throughout. Released to download from the 10^th of May 2009 to promote McFly’s ‘Radio:ACTIVE Live At Wembley’ DVD, ‘Falling In Love’ is about missed opportunities and regret. Leisurely, tender and soppy, this song is a great gushy pop love song, ‘I can’t take another night on my own, so I take a breath and then I pick up the phone...’.

     Piano-led ‘POV’ has an explosive, anthemic chorus and emotion-ridden melody. It portrays the emotive and rugged sides of McFly, blended seamlessly into one track, depicting future potential. ‘Corrupted’ is a slick and dark illustration of a messed-up relationship featuring backing vocals from bassist Dougie Poynter. With finger clicking and acapella harmonising vocals, ‘Smile’ comes together for yet another big, repetitive chorus preaching happiness at all times, representing McFly’s bubblegum branch of music, which may appeal to some listeners more than others.

McFly in 2009

A song held back for three albums, ‘The End’ is a welcomed addition to ‘Radio:ACTIVE’; with its guitar and vocal simplicity it conveys the great vocal abilities of Fletcher and Jones linking into monotonous drumming, leisurely guitar solos and dawdling string sections. Despite the misleading name, it does not end the album as ‘Going Through The Motions’ brings back McFly’s surf rock style from their first album, which unfortunately mixes into sluggish and dense ‘Down Goes Another One’. Upbeat ‘Only The Strong Survive’ has been branded as the weakest track on the album previously, showing that the tail end of ‘Radio:ACTIVE’ is very lacklustre at times. However, this is disproven somewhat thanks to final offering ‘The Last Song’, which evolves from a few pokes of a piano into another rowdy, emotive, pop-friendly chorus.

     ‘Radio:ACTIVE’ reflects McFly’s strident progress from their first few releases, with boisterous pop punk compositions, lots of emotion and some great instrumentation. However, the band’s heaviest release to date (from 2008) is no depiction of musical perfection as it marks how unsure McFly appear as to who their audience actually is, although better tracks convey how much potential they have.

4/5 

Boyce Avenue – New Acoustic Sessions Vol. 1 (10/06/2011- Universal Republic)

     Boyce Avenue is an acoustic band formed in Sarasota, Florida in 2004 by three brothers, Alejandro Manzano (lead vocals, guitar and piano), Fabian Manzano (guitar, keyboards and backing vocals) and Daniel Manzano (percussion, bass, violin and backing vocals), as well as various touring members. After posting covers and original material to YouTube, which achieved views of around 11,000,000 the band set their sights with connecting with their rapidly growing online fanbase.

    The record begins with Katy Perry’s chart topper ‘Teenage Dream’, pin-pointing Boyce Avenue as innocent ridden artists in a world of songwriting about parties and one night stands. This is because they not only make the track their own with gentle vocals and instrumentation, but also change various somewhat suggestive lyrics, for instance, from ‘Let’s go all the way tonight...’ to ‘Let’s just talk all through the night, there’s no need to rush’. It is also clear that Alejandro’s voice is nothing but stunning, and the band have managed to format a half decent pop song into something that really tugs at your heart rings.

     Taio Cruz’s mind-numbingly repetitive composition, ‘Dynamite’ appears completely reformatted when generic studio-created beats and overly-edited vocals are replaced with tender guitaring and vocals. Boyce Avenue prove that pop music can still have a soul. Although ‘Just the Way You Are’, originally by Bruno Mars is a sentimentally driving track anyway, Boyce Avenue’s arrangement makes it earth-shattering beautiful with the natural simplicity of the vocals in particular.

    However, the band step up and do something incredibly brave following their covers of current chart competitors, by including a Michael Jackson track, and not one that everyone necessarily knows, ‘Will You Be There?’. Yet because of how different Jackson’s and Manzano’s vocal styles are, it somehow works. The track also boasts the vocal abilities of the other Manzano brothers, constructing a flawless wall of sound. ‘With Arms Wide Open’ by American rock band ‘Creed’ is originally superb song, reflecting how high Boyce Avenue are setting their sights, as well as their aspirations regarding musical variety; leaping from Pop songs, to Michael Jackson, to rock tracks, and doing each one justice.

The Album Cover for 'New Acoustic Sessions Vol. 1'

   Boyce Avenue have cleverly constructed this record, clearly including material from artists like enjoy personally, as they have inputted another Bruno Mars piece, ‘Grenade.’ The original of this track is very good as it stands, but the string section and heart-wrenching harmonies modify it to an eerily tender track. A blend of yet another Bruno Mars (featuring B.O.B) song, ‘Nothin’ On You’, Justin Timberlake’s ‘My Love’ and Far East Movement’s ‘Rocketeer’ follows, proving that there is some heart in popular music, and in this acoustic form, the listener can really appreciate the songs lyrically. 


     ‘Pink’s’ fan outreach track ‘F**ckin’ Perfect’, censored to ‘Perfect’ for this album, is a wonderful composition of light and shade throughout the song, uplifting lyrics and spot-on instrument arrangements. Take That’s ‘Back For Good’ is nothing if not a classic love song, depicting how high Boyce Avenue have set their sights, even with their covers. Although this track is well performed, the arrangement is somewhat disappointing as it does not illustrate the band varying it in any way whatsoever. Boyce Avenue’s dazzling harmonies exposed at their peak in ‘Water Runs Dry’, and although the arrangement is similar to the original Boyz II Men set-up, it conveys how talented the band are, and the great potential they have to dip their toes into so many genres and styles.


     Kings Of Leon are by no means the best lyricists, musicians or performers, but their track ‘Radioactive’ works so well in the original composition format. Therefore, there is something that does not fit correctly for the Manzano’s arrangement. But Black Eyed Peas’ ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ is nothing sort of appalling, so any variation is warmly welcomed. However, this track eradicates the innocence Boyce Avenue have had peppered throughout the rest of ‘New Acoustic Sessions Vol. 1’.

Boyce Avenue

      Although the album shows Boyce Avenue’s overall potential and commercial appeal, it seems to deteriorate from the outset, as if less effort was used to form the final few tracks. Yet when the material works, it is emotive and charming and boasts exquisite vocals.

4/5

The Blackout @ Camden Roundhouse, London (06/11/2011)

     The Blackout, from Merthyr, Tydfill in South Wales played their largest London show to date last night to a crowd of over two thousand fanatics at Camden’s Roundhouse in London. With support from Page 44, Canterbury and We Are The Ocean, the stage was set for a night of earth-shattering sound.

The Blackout at Camden Roundhouse last night

   

     Although I am sure Page 44 played a great show, I did not arrive to the venue until after their setlist was complete, and am therefore unable to comment on their performance. However, the Roundhouse was packed with people, suggesting that they had enjoyed the band enough to stay, which can only be a positive thing. In fact, three bands is usually sufficient enough to please audiences and bands alike, as artists are able to play more material in a longer period of time, giving the audience more of a taster of what they can do.

 

     Canterbury are a phenomenally good looking foursome from Hampshire who were formed in 2005. They released their debut album ‘Thank You’ in November 2009 as a free download, allowing them to spread their music to as many people as possible. Canterbury brought the venue alive with a sound as chirpy and bouncy as ‘Jimmy Eat World’. With brilliant harmonies, crowd pleasing choruses and musical variety, they played an excellent set. They were also very humble towards the crowd who seemed to adore their rhythmic sound a great deal.

Canterbury

      The people and lights, the dingy decor of the Roundhouse sparkled and its acoustics are so pristine, they would be certain to make the likes of Bring Me The Horizon sound half decent. Final support from We Are The Ocean was welcomed to a rapturous response from the crowd, particularly for a support band. Their two strong singers illustrating their flawless call and response style blend of screamo and conventional vocals, they proved they are very well rehearsed in polished live performances. After being formed in 2007, We Are The Ocean have come along leaps and bounds with regards to their musical style and sound. Their second studio album was released in April this year to a great response from fans, foreshadowing their flawless performances to come, including this year’s Reading Festival on the Main Stage. Roaring out hits including ‘Nothing Good Has Happened Yet’, ‘The Waiting Room’, ‘What It Feels Like’ and ‘Confessions’, they also proved their awesome abilities as variety ridden songwriters.

We Are The Ocean

 

     When The Blackout finally begun, they took to the stage with all the confidence of an arena-filling rock band. As soon as they started, sound and crowd alike were bouncing off the walls, warmly welcoming a loud, sweaty and electrifying set. With an unusual mixture of fans from about the ages of twelve to one hundred and twelve (this may or may not be a slight exaggeration), The Blackout depict how appealing their music can be to many different types of people. Commencing with ‘This Is Our Time’ from their new album ‘Hope’ which was released on the 4^th April, the band rapidly prove the worth of their new record and slight sound variation. This was followed up by a single from ‘Hope’, ‘Ambition Is Critical’ which had the audience screaming lyrics at the top of their lungs.

 

    Of course, the apparently timeless issue of illegal downloading was brought up by the band several times during the show, as they jokingly accused those who did not pay for their album as the reason they are poor! Classic crowd pleaser ‘Save Our Selves (The Warning)’, which is usually played last, brought a wonderfully new dose of surprise to The Blackout’s set arrangement. After releasing a second album, let alone a third, it can be tremendously difficult for band’s to construct a setlist illustrating all that they have to offer. But The Blackout manage to complete the task admirably and convey a wonderful mixture of old and new material. Followed by tearjerker ‘It’s High Tide Baby!’ and new single ‘Never By Your Side’, their chosen setlist proves their worthiness of tonight’s venue, and that they are certainly heading in the right direction with regards to progression.

 

     ‘The Devil Inside’ portrays The Blackout’s retention of their darker side, as well classics such as ‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’, ‘Children of The Night’, ‘Said & Done’, ‘Spread Legs Not Lies’, ‘I’m A Riot? You’re A Fucking Riot!’ and ‘ShutTheFuckUppercut’. New tracks ‘Not Alone’ and ‘The Storm’ conveyed the success of the band’s latest release and their thumping abilities blew the audience away. Their senselessly passionate fans were given the gift of a stunning rendition of ‘The Last Goodbye’ and a beautiful opening to ‘Hope’. But this was not before frontman Sean Smith preached his traditional ‘anyone can do anything’ speech, which is of course not true, but it is a sentimental start to the song. ‘Hope’ broke out into The Blackout’s ear ringing sound and perhaps it was just because the band were having the show filmed for a DVD released in the near future, but the audience were incredibly energetic throughout. This was despite the fact that they did not require much encouragement or crowd interaction techniques to entice them, reflecting that moshing and general movement is almost a natural reflex to The Blackout’s music.

The Blackout's Latest Album 'Hope'

 

     After spontaneously performing ‘Higher & Higher’ twice, the band exhibited their talent flawlessly, aside from one drumming mishap for a bar or two from drummer Gareth ‘Snoz’ Lawrence. But it was recovered from so rapidly that it almost went unnoticed. The show’s overall success has been followed up by many any appreciative tweet from members of all the bands involved, and with regards to the headliners, it conveys that they still have their feet firmly on the ground and their future aspirations in the clouds. They were wonderfully humble throughout the show, with The Blackout’s vocalist Gavin Butler stating that it was ‘the highlight of (their) career so far’.

 

     The Roundhouse brought The Blackout their most epic, humble, expensive and energetic show to date. With the band’s uncommon characteristics and remarkable flair, it was also their best performance to date, proving that a little hard work (and fantastic musical talent), can go a very long way.

 

5/5