Alexisonfire – Dog’s Blood
Following the more atmospheric Old Crows/Young Cardinals album, the Dog’s Blood EP sees Alexisonfire head to heavier, more experimental territory. The title track kicks off with a fast punk guitar intro, complementing George Pettit and Wade MacNeil’s brutal vocals. Dallas Green’s melodious singing cuts through the frenzy, providing the perfect contrast to the turmoil and adding more emotion to the outro. ‘Grey’ features a laid back guitar solo that builds to an epic conclusion, with a clear post-rock influence in the guitar line throughout.
The explosions of noise continue in ‘Black As Jet’, which has intense instrumental sections that are just as frantic as those with screamed vocals. EP closer ‘Vex’ is a six minute journey into sonic fury and is entirely instrumental. Although it is great to hear the band trying something different, this record would be much better if Green had a more prominent role in the vocals. His style would fit the intense instrumentation perfectly. Dog’s Blood is a record borne of immense skill and Alexisonfire have seriously upped their game since the last album. Far from alienating fans, as Pettit feared, this EP will surely gain the band a slew of new ones as well as providing old fans with a glimpse into a more evolved sound.
Listen to them here.
Saturday, 20 November 2010
The Bees - Winter Rose
The Bees - Winter Rose
From The Bees’ recently released fourth album, ‘Every Step’s A Yes’, ‘Winter Rose’ is a relaxing indie track with a reggae feel. The bluesy guitar riff goes well with the syncopated rhythms. The range of influences shows off the strong songwriting skills of a band that have developed their sound over the years.
Listen to them here.
From The Bees’ recently released fourth album, ‘Every Step’s A Yes’, ‘Winter Rose’ is a relaxing indie track with a reggae feel. The bluesy guitar riff goes well with the syncopated rhythms. The range of influences shows off the strong songwriting skills of a band that have developed their sound over the years.
Listen to them here.
School of Seven Bells – I L U
School of Seven Bells – I L U
This dreamy track from two-piece School of Seven Bells is a fairly standard female-fronted alt pop affair. ‘I L U’ lingers halfway between ethereal and edgy, failing to immediately grab the listener’s attention, yet the song is definitely a grower. Alejandra Deheza’s delicate vocals and Benjamin Curtis’ electro-influenced instrumentation work well together.
Check them out here.
This dreamy track from two-piece School of Seven Bells is a fairly standard female-fronted alt pop affair. ‘I L U’ lingers halfway between ethereal and edgy, failing to immediately grab the listener’s attention, yet the song is definitely a grower. Alejandra Deheza’s delicate vocals and Benjamin Curtis’ electro-influenced instrumentation work well together.
Check them out here.
Melissa Auf der Maur - Meet Me On The Dark Side
Melissa Auf der Maur - Meet Me On The Dark Side
Layered vocals lend an eerie air to the latest single from Melissa Auf der Maur’s second solo album. This ethereal rock track is well worth a listen and typical of Auf der Maur’s mature take on the genre. If you enjoy this, the rest of the album is definitely one to check out.
Listen here.
Layered vocals lend an eerie air to the latest single from Melissa Auf der Maur’s second solo album. This ethereal rock track is well worth a listen and typical of Auf der Maur’s mature take on the genre. If you enjoy this, the rest of the album is definitely one to check out.
Listen here.
The Phoenix Foundation - Pot
The Phoenix Foundation - Pot
New Zealand band The Phoenix Foundation return with a new song from their forthcoming album, ‘Buffalo’. ‘Pot’ is a seemingly ordinary slice of folk pop along the lines of Mumford & Sons, with added handclaps. Halfway through, some interesting electronic bleeps kick in, elevating the song from an indie standard to something more innovative.
Check them out here.
New Zealand band The Phoenix Foundation return with a new song from their forthcoming album, ‘Buffalo’. ‘Pot’ is a seemingly ordinary slice of folk pop along the lines of Mumford & Sons, with added handclaps. Halfway through, some interesting electronic bleeps kick in, elevating the song from an indie standard to something more innovative.
Check them out here.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
The Concretes - WYWH
The Concretes - WYWH
The new album from The Concretes is a dreamy alt-pop affair, which slides into electronic territory at times. Although the press release describes this record as having “added disco shizzle”, that isn’t quite the case, as is evident from the first track. ‘Good Evening’ is a sumptuously spacey song, with delicate vocals. Disco really doesn’t show up at all, though there is a nice electro beat that makes an all-too fleeting appearance. The vocals may not be to everyone’s taste, remaining fairly monotonous throughout the album.
It is difficult to see how an eight-piece can produce quite pedestrian music. There are interesting ideas explored on WYWH, but the band members simply don’t push the boundaries enough. Tracks like ‘All Day’ are relaxingly pleasant pop songs but need an extra edginess to make them worth listening to. ‘What We’ve Become’ does this successfully, the funk-esque guitar chords contrasting perfectly with the bass line. Overall, WYWH is a fairly average record.
Check them out here.
The new album from The Concretes is a dreamy alt-pop affair, which slides into electronic territory at times. Although the press release describes this record as having “added disco shizzle”, that isn’t quite the case, as is evident from the first track. ‘Good Evening’ is a sumptuously spacey song, with delicate vocals. Disco really doesn’t show up at all, though there is a nice electro beat that makes an all-too fleeting appearance. The vocals may not be to everyone’s taste, remaining fairly monotonous throughout the album.
It is difficult to see how an eight-piece can produce quite pedestrian music. There are interesting ideas explored on WYWH, but the band members simply don’t push the boundaries enough. Tracks like ‘All Day’ are relaxingly pleasant pop songs but need an extra edginess to make them worth listening to. ‘What We’ve Become’ does this successfully, the funk-esque guitar chords contrasting perfectly with the bass line. Overall, WYWH is a fairly average record.
Check them out here.
My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na
My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na
The first single from My Chemical Romance’s fourth album is a complete change in direction, taking the relentlessly upbeat mood of songs such as ‘Dead’ and ‘Give ‘Em Hell Kid’ to the next level altogether. The catchy refrain repeated throughout the song makes this a perfect live anthem. Despite being a clear departure from the more pensive ‘The Black Parade’, this song already shows that My Chemical Romance are back on form and set to make an explosive return to the music scene.
Check them out here.
The first single from My Chemical Romance’s fourth album is a complete change in direction, taking the relentlessly upbeat mood of songs such as ‘Dead’ and ‘Give ‘Em Hell Kid’ to the next level altogether. The catchy refrain repeated throughout the song makes this a perfect live anthem. Despite being a clear departure from the more pensive ‘The Black Parade’, this song already shows that My Chemical Romance are back on form and set to make an explosive return to the music scene.
Check them out here.
Saturday, 23 October 2010
UBU Photosoc Scavenger Hunt
As a member of the UBU Photosoc committee, I had to take a group of members around Bristol to take pictures for 15 different categories, including "What is this?" and "Caught in the act". Here's a few shots I got of my team in action:
I photographed a Mooting Launch for Bristol Law Club earlier this week so I'll put some photos from that up soon. I am currently working on a roll of black and white which I hope to process myself, but that may take a while to appear. I've got a roll of Reala to develop. Goodness only knows what I took pictures of with that, since I started it back in the summer!
I photographed a Mooting Launch for Bristol Law Club earlier this week so I'll put some photos from that up soon. I am currently working on a roll of black and white which I hope to process myself, but that may take a while to appear. I've got a roll of Reala to develop. Goodness only knows what I took pictures of with that, since I started it back in the summer!
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Orbital Comedy Night
Back at uni now, in terms of photography I have been rather busy with the UBU Photosoc Events Team, which I jointly manage along with Alex. Here's a couple of shots from a comedy night that Bristol Orbital hosted:
Event Compere Mark Olver
Rob Broderick of hip-hop stand up duo Abandoman
I have also been trying to improve my people photography, which is aided by some willing (and some not so willing...) subjects:
Joe
Jamie - I was trying out a Yashica flash (which came with my film camera) on my Canon. You can't adjust the intensity. This results in manically overexposed photos!
UBU Photosoc hosted a scavenger hunt last night, despite it being incredibly cold we had a good time and managed to get some interesting photos. Some of the themes we had to fit were "FLASH!", "The Most Permanent Thing In Bristol" (our submission was a photo of the old classic, Jason Donnervan) and "What Is This?" which resulted in some rather bizarre interpretations.
Event Compere Mark Olver
Rob Broderick of hip-hop stand up duo Abandoman
I have also been trying to improve my people photography, which is aided by some willing (and some not so willing...) subjects:
Joe
Jamie - I was trying out a Yashica flash (which came with my film camera) on my Canon. You can't adjust the intensity. This results in manically overexposed photos!
UBU Photosoc hosted a scavenger hunt last night, despite it being incredibly cold we had a good time and managed to get some interesting photos. Some of the themes we had to fit were "FLASH!", "The Most Permanent Thing In Bristol" (our submission was a photo of the old classic, Jason Donnervan) and "What Is This?" which resulted in some rather bizarre interpretations.
Monday, 13 September 2010
Paris
I've finally got round to sorting through my photographs from a family trip to Paris last month! I've still got a lot to go through, but I have started uploading them to Flickr. I didn't bother taking the 40D along, so they're all from Little Canon (Powershot A700) and unedited (mainly because that would take time, and they look fine as they are I reckon).
The sun was just about to set as we got to the Eiffel Tower. By the time we'd ascended to the top, the sun was setting and the views were amazing.
Some lights in a building at Disneyland Paris.
More here.
The sun was just about to set as we got to the Eiffel Tower. By the time we'd ascended to the top, the sun was setting and the views were amazing.
Some lights in a building at Disneyland Paris.
More here.
Friday, 10 September 2010
Funeral for a Friend - The Young and Defenceless EP
Review is up on Hype City.
Welsh rockers Funeral for a Friend return with an incendiary new EP, ‘The Young and Defenceless’, funded by fan contributions via PledgeMusic, a website which describes itself as “a collaboration between modern online marketing and old school music biz know how”. Fans were given the opportunity to ‘pledge’ for various Funeral for a Friend related delights, from a download of the new EP to the opportunity of recording gang vocals on an EP track. The limited edition EP is not going to be available in shops, so those who have not pledged have missed out. This is an incredible shame as these four songs build on the more mature sound of previous album ‘Memory and Humanity’, reintroducing the brutal edge that was present on debut ‘Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation’.
The ethereal electro-infused introduction of ‘Serpents in Solitude’ quickly builds to an explosion of classic Funeral for a Friend riffage, the guitar line interweaving neatly with the vocals. Right from the first track it is evident that Matt Davies is at his best; an incredibly talented vocalist who has the capability to switch between styles while conveying just the right amount of emotion. ‘Vultures’ features a moody bassline and brutal drums, marking a contrast with the soaring chorus of this ode to the futility of life.
Stepping up the pace, ‘Damned If You Do, Dead If You Don’t’ hits the listener with more insane guitar-playing, reminiscent of B-side ‘Lazarus’, from the ‘Hours’ era, coupled with relentless drumming. Final track ‘Sixteen’ rounds off the EP nicely, with beautiful vocals that are supported by a melodious guitar line.
‘The Young and Defenceless’ is classic Funeral for a Friend; maintaining the band’s established sound and managing to be as fresh as breakthrough single ‘Juneau’ was back in 2003. It is a testament to the band members’ songwriting skills that they can come up with new music that is more or less guaranteed to appeal to existing fans. A new album is currently being recorded and if this EP is anything to go by, it will be another storming record worthy of a place in any rock fan’s collection.
Welsh rockers Funeral for a Friend return with an incendiary new EP, ‘The Young and Defenceless’, funded by fan contributions via PledgeMusic, a website which describes itself as “a collaboration between modern online marketing and old school music biz know how”. Fans were given the opportunity to ‘pledge’ for various Funeral for a Friend related delights, from a download of the new EP to the opportunity of recording gang vocals on an EP track. The limited edition EP is not going to be available in shops, so those who have not pledged have missed out. This is an incredible shame as these four songs build on the more mature sound of previous album ‘Memory and Humanity’, reintroducing the brutal edge that was present on debut ‘Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation’.
The ethereal electro-infused introduction of ‘Serpents in Solitude’ quickly builds to an explosion of classic Funeral for a Friend riffage, the guitar line interweaving neatly with the vocals. Right from the first track it is evident that Matt Davies is at his best; an incredibly talented vocalist who has the capability to switch between styles while conveying just the right amount of emotion. ‘Vultures’ features a moody bassline and brutal drums, marking a contrast with the soaring chorus of this ode to the futility of life.
Stepping up the pace, ‘Damned If You Do, Dead If You Don’t’ hits the listener with more insane guitar-playing, reminiscent of B-side ‘Lazarus’, from the ‘Hours’ era, coupled with relentless drumming. Final track ‘Sixteen’ rounds off the EP nicely, with beautiful vocals that are supported by a melodious guitar line.
‘The Young and Defenceless’ is classic Funeral for a Friend; maintaining the band’s established sound and managing to be as fresh as breakthrough single ‘Juneau’ was back in 2003. It is a testament to the band members’ songwriting skills that they can come up with new music that is more or less guaranteed to appeal to existing fans. A new album is currently being recorded and if this EP is anything to go by, it will be another storming record worthy of a place in any rock fan’s collection.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Bournemouth Air Festival and !!!
Mikey's started a new online 'zine and my first review for it, of !!!'s Strange Weather, Isn't It?, is up here. Enjoy.
In photography news, I went to the Bournemouth Air Festival last month, with Alex, who had a lens that was way more appropriate for taking pictures of planes with than my 50mm! It was a fairly miserable day and we got rained on constantly. Some of the planes weren't able to fly due to the weather, which was a shame, but we did see some fantastic stuff. Here's a picture of a Breitling Wingwalker:
I had to borrow Alex's ridiculens to get decent photos. If you ever plan to take photos of planes, make sure you have a lens that goes to 100mm at the very least!
I still haven't got round to looking through my photos from Paris yet, which is rather lazy of me. I shall eventually!
In photography news, I went to the Bournemouth Air Festival last month, with Alex, who had a lens that was way more appropriate for taking pictures of planes with than my 50mm! It was a fairly miserable day and we got rained on constantly. Some of the planes weren't able to fly due to the weather, which was a shame, but we did see some fantastic stuff. Here's a picture of a Breitling Wingwalker:
I had to borrow Alex's ridiculens to get decent photos. If you ever plan to take photos of planes, make sure you have a lens that goes to 100mm at the very least!
I still haven't got round to looking through my photos from Paris yet, which is rather lazy of me. I shall eventually!
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