Mazsays : March 2011

Wednesday, 30 March 2011

Rise Against- Endgame (15/03/2011 DGC/Interscope)

Produced by Bill Stevenson, ‘Endgame’ is Rise Against’s sixth studio album, marking how much they developed as recording artists, songwriters and veterans from their aggressive outset. Impressively, they have retained their signature theme of expressing the negativity of the world through sentimental songs that are treasured by many thousands of fans all over the world. Rise Against have never been conventional, but it is their individuality and high standards that have made them so well-known.

The Chicago quartet have enjoyed mainstream success, after being considerably underground, since their third album, ‘Siren Song of the Counter Culture’. With politically enforced, activist driven and animal rights protesting lyrics and three straight edge members (excluding drummer Brandon Barnes), they are somewhat unusual components of the punk puzzle; a world overflowing with drugs, booze and girls. After being formed over a decade ago, fans were anticipating a variation in sound from Rise Against, as well as the inspirational hits the bands have brought before.

The Album Artwork of 'Endgame'

With influences from punk rock heavyweights such as Face To Face and Down By Law, Rise Against certainly don’t make it easy for themselves! ‘Endgame’ is boasts some of the band’s best work to date, opening with a melodic punk riff in first track ‘Architects’, in which, you can really feel the heavier sound of Rise Against. The ferocious backing drums and thunderous chorus, ‘Do you still believe in all the things you stood by before?’. Along with a powerful guitar solo, you can practically feel the mosh pits opening up.

‘Help Is On The Way’, which was released as a single on 25^th January, peaking at number 3 on both the US Billboard Rock Songs and Alternative Songs Charts, is a catchy, crunchy track, portraying the band’s cluster of influences. The speedy intro is reminiscent of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus’ ‘Face Down’, but the addition of Tim Mcllarth’s unique vocal abilities tinged with anger and frustration allow the band to almost adopt theatrical elements with the dramatic drive of their proceedings. A welcomed element is the use of light and shade in the track, illustrating Mcllrath’s talent for both singing and screaming beautifully. The constant change in speed keeps the listener attentive and interested, and gives long-standing fans something to clutch to.

Third track ‘Make It Stop (September’s Children’) retains Rise Against’s established dramatic backbone to create a ready-made head-banging workout. Think 30 Seconds To Mars meets Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams.’ War-inspired gang vocals, mammoth musical muscle and a superb clutter of instruments, tempos and arena-filling swagger help reiterate Rise Against’s serious message about the evils of the world. A breakdown of the song towards the end is almost identical to Green Day’s ‘Holiday’, but with Mcllrath reading the names of fallen soldiers in their early teenage years, the solemn backbone of the band’s music is fantastically emphasised.

‘Disparity By Design’; drenched in punk-edge, truly delivers the concept of Rise Against’s music with frantic flourishing from start to finish. ‘Satellite’ conveys the band throwing what they know to the wind, with a gentle introduction and a chorus that not only ties the song together, but also combines band and fan, ‘We won’t back down, we won’t run and hide!’ Rise Against have the compelling ability to compose solemn music without ballad after ballad and emo or self-orientated lyrics, ‘We are the orphans of the American Dream’, which must be applauded.

Sixth track ‘Midnight Hands’, along with ‘Survivor Guilt’ and ‘Broken Mirrors’ depict work peppered with funk and heart, which is a rare mixture to find in punk rock tracks. ‘Wait For Me’ appears to be the expected ballad of the album, and it does not disappoint, although it is by no means superior to ‘Hero of War’ from previous album ‘Appeal To Reason’, which is a stunning tear-jerker. However, it stretches the sheer diversity and overall verve of Rise Against, boosting their appeal to new fans, allowing them to clamber further up the mainstream ladder.

Rise Against

The speed and skill communicated through ‘A Gentlemen’s Coup’ and its start/stop framework expresses the intended anger, ‘We storm the gates, raise the flags...’. The capabilities of Rise Against appear infinite thanks to the vast variety found throughout ‘Endgame’ and the split second of acapella vocals from Mcllrath propels his gift into the well-deserved spotlight. ‘This Is Letting Go’, as track eleven on a twelve-track compliation, should be the clear waker-uper, really showing what the band can do; impelling the listener into the band’s solid graft admirably. Final and title track ‘Endgame’ is a bass filled finale, exploding with a beautifully broadcast, stunningly-deafening melody. Along with bonus track ‘Lanterns’ a reasonably chilled song, ‘Endgame’ is rounded off wonderfully.

Hitting the listener like a speeding train from beginning to end, ‘Endgame’ marks the development of Rise Against as musicians and their determination to use their music for good and making political messages accessible and seamlessly ear-splitting.

5/5

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

All Time Low @ London Brixton Academy (12/03/2011)

All Time Low, from Baltimore, Maryland were formed in 2003 and released their debut studio album, ‘So Wrong It’s Right’ in July of 2005. Tonight, they play their largest UK show to date, proving that high school kids coming together to play Blink-182 covers can conquer the music industry. All Time Low are rapidly becoming one of the most well-known pop punk bands around, with a little help from multiple airplays on BBC Radio 1, tracks peppered with bubblegum pop and unique musical skill.

Their fan base appears to be ever-expanding and with fan-favourite ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In’ recently hitting gold-standard sales without ever being played on the radio, proving the worth of frequent touring and faithful fans. Support for this tour is made up of rising stars Young Guns and alternative rock stars Yellowcard. Tonight’s sold out show is a prime example of music fans becoming younger and younger, with most of the room having barely reached puberty.

High Wycombers Young Guns are first to saunter on stage to rapturous applause, and although they performed admirably, their five song set was somewhat disappointing due to the exceptional standard of their album and EPs. As their stage time ended up being just in excess of half an hour, Young Guns played nothing unexpected, including ‘Winter Kiss’, ‘Stiches’ and ‘Crystal Clear.’ However, aside from three or four rows towards the front of the crowd, unfortunately they failed to whip the audience into shape for the following bands, which, if anyone had experienced them live before, would be fully aware that they were more than capable of doing so.

Yellowcard graced the stage for just over forty five minutes, armed with foundation melodic skill, and a violin, setting them apart from other alternative bands on the scene. After coming together in 2007, Yellowcard have released a total of seven albums, yet they are not as conventionally successful as headliners All Time Low. Having said that, their set was nothing short of incredible, with that unnamed magic element running throughout, which gig goers yearn for. The pure emotion and power poured into every single song was seemed effortless yet staggering.

Support: Yellowcard

Although Yellowcard did vary their overall style initially from punk rock to pop punk, their individuality remains clear and judging by the reaction of the crowd, many people were struck by the same sing-along sensation as I was. Blasting favourites such as ‘Hang You Up’, ‘Only One’ and ‘For You and Your Denial’ showcased the diversity of musical talent and skill in the band, as well as the range of tracks they have composed over the years. I, for one, will certainly make a point of seeing this band headline their own show in the near future.

Headliners: All Time Low

To be frank, All Time Low had a great deal to live up to owing to the knockout performance from Yellowcard but with a decent combination of encouragement and professional showmanship, with one or two signature jokes thrown in, they played a great show. All Time Low’s stage presence has always been quirky and personal and with frontman Alex Gaskarth erupting on stage with ‘Keep The Change, You Filthy Animal’, it was obvious how keen the band were to develop the crowd’s energy and enthusiasm, enhanced by Gaskarth’s somewhat desperate repletion of ‘...this is the best UK show we’ve ever played’.

Although nowhere near rowdy, the audience remained pumped throughout the hour and a half set, chock-a-block with both old and new tracks. The beautiful sound that the walls of Brixton Academy bring to any band instantly boosts any sound already heard, and the projection of ‘Damned If I Ya (Damned If I Don’t)’ illustrated the crowd’s deafening refrain and the awesome mainstream success underestimate the supremacy of pop-based elements to help bands steer their triumphs, as long as a distinctive style is created and retained.

Crowd pleaser ‘Jasey Rae’ was brilliantly executed, along with ‘Poppin’ Champagne’ and ‘Six Feet Under the Stars’, portraying the variety thrown into tonight’s setlist as well as All Time Low’s uncommon flair with regards to song writing. After ‘A Party Song (The Walk of Shame)’, which, although a great track, marks the bands development as both musicians and people over the years, brand new track ‘Time Bomb’ shook the walls. From the boys’, yet to be released and highly anticipated fourth album ‘Dirty Work’, it, in itself reveals the increased maturity of All Time Low, but I am glad to note that they have not lost their infectious mischievous side.

‘Lost in Stereo’, ‘Stella’ and ‘Break Your Little Heart’ render a flaw in the setlist as they are all taken from the band’s most recent release, yet due to an incredible high volume of sales, this is to be expected. Signature ‘slow one’ ‘Therapy’ followed, showcasing the solid flair and vigour that All Time Low boast, along with their positional to generate an atmospheric rasp throughout the set. And after a half-hearted mini cover of Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream’ and ‘Remembering Sunday’, tonight’s encore kicked in consisting of ‘Weightless’ and ‘Dear Maria, Count Me In’, which wrapped up the show perfectly.

Despite some hiccups concerning track placing in the band’s setlist and being somewhat outshone by breathtaking support Yellowcard, the execution of tonight’s performance was excellent and left fans hungry for the official release of ‘Dirty Work’ in the next couple of months.

4/5

My YouTube Videos:

Believe- Yellowcard- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjxlUKU1YqQ&feature=channel_video_title

Only One- Yellowcard- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHtjKmnoZY4

Stella- All Time Low- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJG7M1Qkk38

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

Black Swan- Fox Searchlight Pictures (21/01/2011)

Starring Natalie Portman, Black Swan is a beautiful and haunting ‘physcoramatic’ piece directed by Darren Aronofsky, who is renowned for his hard-hitting and thought provoking work, such as Requiem For A Dream (2000). Portman encapsulates the seemingly naive, dainty and dedicated young ballet dancer, Nina Sayers, who is utterly consumed with her profession. Dancing for the New York City ballet, and living with her mother, a former ballerina who is also infatuated by dance, she lands the lead role in Swan Lake when artistic director Thomas Leroy kisses her and she bites him, allowing him to discover her potential. The artistic director, played by Vincent Cassel replaces Beth Macintyre (Winona Ryder). However, Leroy is also astounded by the unique abilities of new dancer Lily, brought to life by Mila Kunis, who is best known as the voice of Meg Griffin in hit US T.V series Family Guy.

The Film's Director Darren Aronofsky

Leroy states that he requires a prima ballerina capable of personifying the white swan’s innocence and grace as well as the sensuality of the black swan. Innocence and grace are clearly Nina’s traits whereas Lily encapsulates the innate, slightly off-centre sensuality that Leroy yearns to bring out of Nina through her dancing. The girls become friends which develops into a fierce rivalry as Nina craves Lily’s lose characteristics, causing her to get in touch with her darker side. Nina eventually experiences hallucinations and shows definite psychotic signs, making the audience question her every move and thought, which is a difficult role for a protagonist to have, because it is within the nature of the viewer to trust the main character without question.

Fundamentally, Black Swan is a thrilling drama illustrating the lifelike aspects of a dedication to dance, specifically ballet, which is renowned for harsh expectations for those involved, which is seen early on in the film with Nina cracking her toes in preparation. The theme of obsession appears to be a favourite of Aronofsky’s, perhaps due to how hard-hitting and heartbreaking it can be, after all, it is always more interesting to view the life of a troubled character than someone who is excessively care-free and optimistic. Unfortunately, from simply watching the preview trailers for Black Swan, one can completely comprehended the majority of the storyline. But, having said that, the nauseating imagery and troubled existence of the protagonist attract nothing but deep sympathy from the audience because of how well-acted the film is.

The simplistic cinematography aspect of conveying parallels between characters within the film and a story within said film has been somewhat overused, making the overall plot very unsurprising. But I am sure not many audience members expect the parallels to be quite so dark and disturbing. The juxtapositioning of the film’s actual storyline and that of Swan Lake are cleverly placed to portray realism and surrealism perfectly in tandem. I appreciate that Arnonofsky has never underestimated the potential power of colour, or lack thereof, because by simply labelling one character as the white swan, and the other as the black, a probable plot forms in the mind of the viewer instantly. As a perfectionist, it is inevitable that Nina becomes more spontaneous to project the black swan on opening night. A film gripping film about jealousy, fear and dedication, Black Swan is glitteringly stunning, with several ‘must-look-but-my-stomach-cannot-bare-it’ moments. Arnonofksy's use of mirrors is unusual as it seamlessly represents the idea that dancers and actors alike must develop a sense of self-criticism in order to be successful, which is an ironic portrayal of similarities between the character of Nina and Portman, as the actress playing her.

In a similar way to Aronofsky’s previous work, Black Swan has no concealed message or moral for the viewer, allowing utter focus on the dazzling acting, incredible cinemaphotography and storyline. Some of the shots of the dancing, specifically group rehearsals and rapid close-ups making everywhere appear claustrophobic, creating audience-character empathy, are fantastic and despite the movie being from the protagonist’s point of the view, the variation of shot keeps the audience questioning Nina’s mental stability. Additionally, the graphic and captivating dancing scenes are the backbone of the film without taking the focus off the storyline itself, which is a very difficult balance for a director and cinematographer to attain. Andrew Weisblum’s editing must also be applauded because his juxtapositions of lifelike aspects with a montage of mental instability are intense and some of the sequences of shots reflect the sense of tainted beauty found in the storyline.

A Black Swan Film Poster

Black Swan is one of those films that, assisted by Clint Mansell’s cold and haunting score, a charismatic piece, that does something very rare as tests the limits of cinema on an emotional level. Some scenes with make you feel physically sick, but not because of their realism, but because of their distant connection to reality, which is incredibly rare. The frequent intense use of mirrors is unforgettable, and will have you jumping at your own reflection for weeks to come. Black Swan, in which Natalie Portman absolutely gives her best performance to date, manages to encapsulate spectacular dance sequences, storyline parallels, dramatic and charming acting and character deterioration, all coming to a holt in the most predictable but stunning fashion.

4/5

Friday, 4 March 2011

We The Kings @ London Camden Electric Ballroom (15/02/2011)

We The Kings, a pop-punk band born in 2003 of four Floridian High School friends have just experienced their most successful and influential year with the UK and embarked on their biggest UK tour ever, stretching across ten dates throughout February, concluded with the world renowned Electric Ballroom in Camden. Headlining their largest UK venues ever, the pressure on the band to perform better than ever was incredible. Supported by I See Stars, All Forgotten and friends of the band Versa Emerge.

We The Kings materialised, seemingly unnoticed in 2007, with very experimental EPs and with a self-titled debut studio album, but after being showcased on CBS’ the Early Show in New York in May 2008 and they were also featured in Alternative Press magazine, making their once minute fan base outstretch worldwide. After releasing their second studio album Smile Kid in December of 2009, they were hurled into the UK pop-punk scene and now perch comfortably, sharing fans with the likes of You Me At Six and All Time Low. We The Kings’ alluring pop beats and lyrics combined with softer love songs and heavier riffs, they are a welcomed ‘safer’ band for pop-punk fans.

Michigan post-hardcore rockers I See Stars are first to grace the stage, propelling their stylistic mixture of screamo, electronic and rock genres, were a good introduction to the evening, but there was something about their method that didn’t quite click with the audience, perhaps the extensive blend of so many genres or the manner of performance. Having said that, they did manage to keep the audience on their feet and seemingly entertained. All Forgotten, were next to grace the stage, armed with upbeat punk melodies, screamo and hardcore elements and spectacular vocals from frontman Dan Lawrence driving the band firmly into the audience’s good books. With influences from bands such as We Are The Ocean and Lostprophets, it is a wonder All Forgotten are not already signed with a major punk label and playing festivals around the country, but the future is certainly bright for these Surrey bred boys.

Third and final support, Versa Emerge pretty much blue the crowd away with their natural musical elegance and flair. The Floridian threesome opened with the title track from their debut studio album Fixed At Zero, which was released during the summer last year. When asked who had hear of the band before the show, the majority of the crowd gleefully cheered and sung along deafeningly with Fixed At Zero and the tracks that followed. The fact that the band write their own music completely is obvious due to the sincere emotion exposed to the crowd and Versa’s experimental edge give them a leg up on other bands that are not every well known in the UK who attempt to retain a predetermined approach and genre.

However, any pop-punk based band fronted by a woman is bound to draw immense comparisons to the world renowned Paramore, but Versa Emerge’s frontwoman Sierra Kusterbeck has awesome stage presence and unique finesse as a vocalist, and the band’s overall dark style is very attractive in the rock world. Having previously released EPs prior to their debut album, in a similar format to We The Kings, Versa already have something which many bands and artists severely lack; originality and the natural ability for audience curiosity. It is often easy to deduce that support acts may not be particularly good, and usually that presumption would be correct, but in the case of tonight’s show, all three support acts were varied, energetic and gave great performances.

With a simple stage set up of several lights and amps and each band members stood in their regular spot, We The Kings were geared up, in tandem with the throng of fans below them. Beginning with ‘Skyway Avenue’ from their first album, I personally, was happy to realise the set would be a merge of old and new tracks to please all audience members. We The Kings, particularly frontman Travis Clark are senselessly passionate about what they do which rubs off on audiences, making each show they play electrifying. They’re one of those bands that you could easily forget about and throw to the unimportant playlist on your iPod, but you would be wrong to do so! Each time I experience their passion in the flesh, I am astounded by their natural abilities and energy.

‘Skyway Avenue’ illustrates all that We The Kings are about; being young, and being in love, whether for good or bad, which is why they are so appealing to younger music fans who are personally familiar with the ins and outs of teenage relationships. ‘She Takes Me High’ is next to be incorporated into the setlist and truly brings the house down. The production on the original recording is infectiously pop-esque and full of optimism, much like the rest of Smile Kid, which is a welcomed variation from other gloomier bands; the right mix of the two is necessary for any music collection. The song’s repetitive chorus is straightforward enough for the crowd to sing along to, which makes for a cheery and triumphant opening to the show from any perspective.

Surprisingly, ‘What You Do To Me’, also from Smile Kid is next to be played, which is an unexpected incorporation to the set, but makes for fantastic crowd participation with its jaunty, pop-driven chorus and optimism, which is the best constituent of what constructs We The Kings. Travis Clark’s unusually mellow yet motivating stage presence keeps all band members in check throughout the set and keeps the audience interested as the band blare out crowd pleasers such as ‘Stay Young’, ‘All Again For You’, and their most famous track ‘We’ll Be A Dream’, which was a collaboration with Disney star Demi Lovato. This song is beautiful in its simplicity and integrity, especially when performed live without all the excessive production elements.

‘Rain Falls Down’ followed, and considering this was the very first time We The Kings played this track live in London, the reception was remarkable. This song conveys that it is possible to refer to both the good and bad aspects of young relationships, not just skin deep emotion, and still be a successful band. We The Kings are a meek and warm band who constantly refer to other bands and artists who have boosted their careers thus far, including inspirations such as Jimmy Eat World. Their cover of ‘The Middle’ exhibited how the characteristics of each band member shine seamlessly through one another to generate what is We The Kings. This performance, in particular, marked the best We The Kings show I have ever experienced, as it was obvious how comfortable they were on stage.

‘Heaven Can Wait’ and ‘Secret Valentine’ flaunt the bravado and vulnerability that the band portray through their music, and when played live, a moving level of emotion unites with the lively atmosphere from other brisker songs. Travis Clark’s flawless and much improved vocal abilities are now hauntingly supreme, forming a soulful connection with the crowd, ‘I will always be your friend.’ Despite a short set, With ‘Check Yes Juliet’ to wrap up the set, I was left feeling something very rare; content.