Two For Tunesday: 12th July 2016

Two Door Cinema Club – Are We Ready (Wreck)

Returning with their first new material since 2012’s ‘Beacon’, Two Door Cinema Club are back with new track ‘Are We Ready (Wreck)’, which is lifted from the trio’s forthcoming third album ‘Gameshow’, out in October.

What’s most notable about Two Door’s return is just how big ‘Are We Ready (Wreck)’ sounds. Its children’s choir “nah-nah-nah”ing sounds like it was built for arenas, whilst its lopping bass and layered finale is as slick as the County Down boys have ever sounded. The accompanying video is a clever and sleek production, with the band paying homage to the track’s lyrics as they feature in clips for airlines, beer and pills. ‘Are We Ready (Wreck)’ might not be as instant as anything off the band’s debut LP ‘Tourist History’ but rest assured, when it clicks, it sounds as good as Two Door Cinema Club have ever sounded.

Tinie Tempah – Mamacita 

Tinie Tempah keeps momentum rolling following the success of ‘Girls Like’ with the next single from his forthcoming third album ‘Youth’, out in September. The Wizkid-featuring ‘Mamacita’ has a clear Latin influence whilst maintaining the London rapper’s signature sound.

The Latin influence on ‘Mamacita’ works well, with brass instruments featured throughout, played out in the background over Tempah’s signature wrapping. As with ‘Girls Like’, Tinie’s new track ‘Mamacita’ may not be instant, but you’ll be singing along in no time, especially with Wizkid (who recently featured on Drake’s huge #1 smash ‘One Dance) providing vocals on the track’s memorable chorus. It has every potential to dominate the airwaves all summer long.

 

 

 

 

Two For Tunesday: 5th July 2016

Bastille – Good Grief

London based Bastille seemingly came out of nowhere in 2013, bursting onto the scene with their debut LP ‘Bad Blood’ which in turn produced a string of hits, including ‘Of The Night’ and ‘Pompeii’. Following on from a lengthy world tour, Dan Smith and company are back with ‘Good Grief’, the first track to be taken from their up-and-coming second album ‘Wild World’.

Beginning with an excerpt from Weird Science, ‘Good Grief’ is an upbeat pop number that boasts a bouncy chorus to rival that of their biggest hits. “Every minute and every hour, I miss you, I miss you, I miss you,” Smith sings, on a track that will no doubt dominate airwaves and festival fields over the summer. ‘Good Grief’ is infectious from beginning to end and whilst the track is a slight departure from the band’s previous material, it’s distinctive enough to maintain the unique Bastille sound.

The Last Shadow Puppets – Miracle Aligner

The Last Shadow Puppets, the collaborative duo consisting of Alex Turner & Miles Kane, are set to release the swooning ‘Miracle Aligner’ as the next single from their second LP ‘Everything You’ve Come To Expect’.

The track is built on a simple melody and features Alex Turner’s soothing vocals, backed by a raucous drum beat and an infectious chorus. The second coming of The Last Shadow Puppets has been somewhat overshadowed by Turner and Kane’s derogatory comments towards women and as Turner croons “Get down on your knees, get down on your knees again,” it’s safe to say the duo aren’t helping themselves. That aside, it’s hard not to enjoy ‘Miracle Aligner’, especially alongside it’s accompanying video which features the duo dressed in their best dinner jackets whilst dancing in a elaborate ball room setting.

Football’s coming home?

With Euro 2016 kicking off in France in less than an hour, here are three of the best football songs of all time to get you in the mood.

Ant & Dec – We’re On The Ball

Everyone’s favourite Geordies Ant & Dec re-vitalised their music career in the early 2000’s to record a song for the 2002 World Cup, ’We’re On The Ball’. The extremely catchy number reflects upon England’s previous heartbreak in tournaments including Euro 96 as well as referencing that famous 5-1 thumping of Germany. As one might expect, there’s an extremely cheeky video to boot, including Ant & Dec’s impersonation of then manager Sven-Göran Eriksson.

David Baddiel, Frank Skinner, The Lightning Seeds – Three Lions (1996)

In 1996 comedy partners David Baddiel and Frank Skinner teamed up with The Lightning Seeds to record ‘Three Lions’. Referencing everyone from Bobby Moore to Gary Lineker, the song is a timeless classic that breeds optimism. Since its release in 1996, the song has been re-recorded and re-released numerous times, re-entering the top 40 alongside every major tournament but it’s the original track that remains the greatest football song of all time. Now to stop the 50 years of hurt…

New Order – World In Motion 

An electric house piano and an infamous John Barnes rap makes ‘World In Motion’ one of the most catchy football songs of all time. The track was also the soundtrack to England’s greatest footballing achievement since the 1996 World Cup and is also New Order’s only No.1 single. Barnes’ rap has gone down in history and has been re-created in various different forms over the years, most notably by James Corden and Mathew Horne in ‘Gavin & Stacey’.

Two For Tunesday: 7th June 2016

Clean Bandit feat. Louisa Johnson – Tears

After almost a year out of the spotlight, Clean Bandit are back with the first single to be taken from their as-yet-untitled second studio LP, and have enlisted the help of most recent X Factor winner Louisa Johnson on guest vocals.

What’s most striking about ‘Tears’ is its structure. The track is multi-layered and a minute in, completely changes direction. Clean Bandit’s production is slick and innovative but it’s Johnson’s vocals that really take the limelight. It’s a resounding comeback that has every potential to be one of the songs of the summer.

A band’s second album is often dubbed their most difficult, especially if they’ve enjoyed success with the predecessor. It would appear, based on ‘Tears’ alone, that Clean Bandit look set to dispel this theory, as they have managed to evolve their sound effortlessly, whilst not losing complete track of their identity. With ‘Tears’ already a top ten hit and growing in airplay, it would appear that Clean Bandit have a very bright summer ahead.

Mumford & Sons feat. Babba Maii – There Will Be Time

Mumford & Sons are a funny one. Their first two albums drew widespread critical acclaim and even propelled the band to a headline Glastonbury slot, despite sounding extremely similar and at times mundane. It was last year’s ‘Wilder Mind’ album that grabbed my attention though, a breath of fresh air and an album that ditched the banjos in favour of a more guitar driven sound. Following a recent tour of South Africa, the band are gearing up to release new EP ‘Johannesburg’, and from it comes first single ‘There Will Be Time’.

‘There Will Be Time’ begins with Senegalese artist Babba Maii with an introduction that doesn’t sound too dissimilar to that of ‘Circle of Life’, before the distinctive vocals of Marcus Mumford take centre stage. The song builds before a rousing finale, a typical Mumford & Sons singalong chorus. Whilst ‘There Will Be Time’ is soulful and enjoyable and benefits well from its clear African influence (mainly thanks to its feature from Babba Maii), it’s far too reminiscent of the band’s early work for my liking.

Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool

With every new Radiohead release comes huge expectation. ‘OK Computer’, adored by critics and fans alike, helped define a generation of guitar music back in the 90s. Almost a decade later, the pay what you want album ‘In Rainbows’, which was described by Time Magazine as “easily the most important release in the recent history of the music business”, helped win over a whole new generation of fans and remains a personal favourite of mine to this day. Whilst its follow up album, 2011’s ‘The King of Limbs’, was distinctively average by comparison, a new album always brings an air of excitement.

In a career spanning almost a quarter of a century, the Oxfordshire band are in a luxurious position in which they can afford to do what they want and be able to get away with it. For example, just a few weeks ago they deleted their entire internet history, with profile pictures and avatars fading to white before disappearing completely (an ode to Kid A’s ‘How To Disappear Completely) sending the internet into a frenzy. Shortly after, some fans received a leaflet through the post with the words “Burn the witch, we know where you live” embroiled on them. The internet began to talk and rumours of an imminent 9th studio album were rife. Just days later, Radiohead released ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ to the world.

Drawing parallels to ‘In Rainbows’, ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ is built around a number of songs that have been part of the band’s live catalogue for years. Lead single and album opener ‘Burn The Witch’ dates back to recording sessions for the band’s 2003 album ‘Hail To The Thief’. The track is bold and brash with dazzling strings and a chorus that just begs to be chanted back at frontman Thom Yorke and co across the band’s intense touring schedule this summer. The pairing of ‘Decks Dark’ and ‘Desert Island Disk’ complement one another well, the former being one of the record’s stand out moments, what with its haunting gospel choir and Yorke’s compelling vocals. “There’s a spacecraft blocking out the sky,” he sings, creating a haunting image along the way.

‘Glass Eyes’ is a beautiful acoustic number whilst ‘Present Tense’, also an album highlight, has evolved dramatically following its appearances in Yorke’s recent solo repertoire. ‘Ful Stop’ is a mesmerising example of just how versatile Radiohead can be, building throughout as Yorke’s vocals reach an almighty crescendo, whilst on ‘Identikit’ he sings “Broken hearts, make it rain”, potentially alluding to the break down of his 23 year relationship. ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief’ is compelling, if only for its dramatic string conclusion.

It is the album’s closing moment that is perhaps its most defining moment, a studio version of the iconic ‘True Love Waits’. The song has been a staple of the band’s live shows for years and dates back to as early as 1995. As Yorke softly sings “I’ll drown my beliefs”, over a haunting piano, shivers are sent down the spine. An iconic moment that concludes ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ in the most fitting of ways.

Radiohead’s 9th studio LP is an incredible body of work that only affirms their status as one of the greatest bands of our generation. Their versatility and attention to detail shine massively on an album that benefits from multiple listens, discovering new intricate details along the way. Whilst ‘The King of Limbs’ felt disjointed in many ways, mainly due to all its experimenting, ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ feels like the whole band have contributed in their own unique way. For many fans, the inclusion of ‘True Love Waits’ as the album’s finale has raised many questions. It is their 100th LP song after all, which has led people to question what the future holds for the band. Is this Radiohead’s swan song? Is this their final goodbye? One certainly hopes not, but if it is to be, then what an incredible way to bow out in a way that only Radiohead can.

The Strokes – Future Present Past EP

The Strokes are arguably defined by their groundbreaking debut album ‘Is This It’. ‘Room On Fire’ was a worthy follow up, but by the time 2006’s ‘First Impressions of Earth’ came round, the band had begun to go off the boil somewhat. A hiatus soon followed, and rumours of infighting and discontent have marred the band ever since. Comeback album ‘Angles’ certainly had its moments, mainly the excellent ‘Undercover of Darkness’ but by the time fifth album ‘Comedown Machine’ was released in 2013, the band refused to tour or promote the album, almost disregarding their own work.

Three years later and The Strokes have reunited for a new EP, the aptly titled ‘Future Present Past’, which coincides with a handful of live dates the band have lined up across the summer. The new EP consists of three new tracks, ‘Drag Queen’, ‘Oblivius’ and ‘Threat of Joy’, along with a remix of ‘Oblivius’ by drummer Fabrizio Moretti. ‘Oblivius’ is very much The Strokes by numbers, and wouldn’t sound out of place on ‘Is This It’, what with its futuristic guitars and frontman Julian Casablancas’ iconic vocals. ‘Drag Queen’ is very much a Strokes song for the modern age. Its electronic guitars are reminiscent of New Order whilst you can also draw comparisons to Casablancas’ most recent solo LP, 2014’s ‘Tyranny’, thanks to its isolated and distorted vocals. Final song ‘Threat of Joy’ is also a throwback to the group’s early days, not sounding too dissimilar to the likes of ‘When It Started’ and ‘Someday’.

There is no doubt that the New York based quintet’s ability to write a great collection of songs remains and whilst musically ‘Future Present Past’ is very good, it would appear that The Strokes’ publicised dysfunctional relationships with one another are now spilling over into their music. Whilst there are no concrete plans to follow up this EP with a full length studio album, when asked the question about plans for a new LP in a recent interview, Casablancas replied “if the collective will can be summoned and caroused”. Not necessarily the definitive  answer Strokes fans were hoping for, but a glimmer of hope, at least, that the band can one day put their differences aside and make an album that challenges the legendary ‘Is This It’. We can all dare to dream, can’t we?

Two For Tunesday: 1st March

Richard Ashcroft – This Is How It Feels

Frontman of The Verve, Richard Ashcroft is back with the first single from his forthcoming 5th studio album entitled ‘These People’, which hits shelves in May.

‘This Is How It Feels’ is Richard Ashcroft’s first new music in over 6 years and has already received approval from former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher who tweeted: “Ashcroft gives power get up you bunch of lazy tarts”. ‘This Is How It Feels’ channels the spirit of The Verve but lacks in conviction. At over 5 minutes in length, the track is too long and lacks staying power. It’s a far cry from Ashcroft’s best solo work, 2007’s ‘Keys To The World’ and is unlikely to win The Verve frontman any new fans. A disappointing return.

Tinie Tempah – Girls Like

Following on from his recent mixtape ‘Junkfood’, Tinie Tempah is back with ‘Girls Like’, the second offering from his forthcoming third studio album, which is due for release later this year.

This commercial offering perfectly combines Tempah’s mix of rap and catchy hooks, this time provided by Sweedish singer Zara Larsson. It’s another slice of radio friendly music that is bound to dominate the airwaves over the coming weeks. One can only wonder however, how long Tinie Tempah can churn out this formula before it becomes tiresome.

BRITS 2016: Live Updates

22:14: Adele brings this year’s lacklustre BRIT awards ceremony to a close. It was of course inevitable when Adele released ’25’ back in November, she would dominate music charts and ceremonies over the coming 12 months. Tonight sadly is another nail in the coffin for the BRIT awards which continues to get more tame year on year. Not even cheeky chappies Ant & Dec could save this year’s lame show. Safe performances and pre-scripted acceptance speeches don’t wash with me. Credit where credit’s due, Adele has played a huge part in British music over the last 12 months but so have many other artists. The last two and a half hours have felt more like a celebration of Adele’s life rather than a celebration of British music. Let’s hope there’s more booze fuelled incidents to report on next year rather than this tame affair.

22:12: My money’s on Jack Garratt to pick up next year’s Best British Male award. You heard it here first.

22:08: Surprise surprise Adele’s ’25’ picks up the BRITs ‘Album of The Year’. A foregone conclusion to a pretty uneventful evening. Bring back Madonna, all is forgiven.

22:05: The Weeknd rivalling Jess Glynne for worst haircut of the evening. ‘The Hills’ is great though and this performance proving why he’s had such a successful 12 months.

22:00: As IF Adele didn’t win an award. Good for One Direction winning Best Video for ‘Drag Me Down’. Shouldn’t Louis be changing nappies though? And where are the other two members of 1D?

21:47: Heartfelt speech about Bowie by Gary Oldman, if a little lengthy, followed by a musical tribute featuring “the future of music” (in Bowie’s words) Lorde. Whilst I might not agree with his sentiment, she is doing a good job of proving just how incredible David Bowie was. A fitting tribute for such an influential and groundbreaking artist.

21:39: The BRITs honouring David Bowie is about the most sensible thing they’ve done all night. A dramatic but moving tribute to Bowie from Annie Lennox and no question that he should be honoured with the ‘British Icon’ award.

21:30: Is there any point voting for this Best Video category? We all know Adele is destined to win. Also, WHY is Jessie J nominated? She stopped being relevant a long time ago.

21:26: Little Mix lightening up proceedings following Adele bawling her eyes out. A different spin on hit ‘Black Magic’ proves that they’re probably one of the best girl bands to come out of this country for a long time. Singing, skimpy outfits and choreographed danced routines seems to be the ‘perfect recipe’ for a chart topping girl group. Not sure about the tribal routine though.

21:23: Adele winning the ‘Global Success Award’. Probably deserved, but we’ve all seen enough of her for one night. Yet another acceptance speech from that very distinctive (read: annoying) voice of hers, this time getting a bit emotional, no doubt earning her a few more headlines for tomorrow. She can do no wrong at this awards ceremony it seems.

21:20: Didn’t expect Catfish & The Bottlemen to win Best British Breakthrough. Thought Jess Glynne or James Bay were almost guaranteed it. Well deserved though and a nice short acceptance speech that maybe others could learn from.

21:17: Highlight of the night is without a doubt the unexpected appearance from Drake. His dance moves have certainly improved from that ‘Hotline Bling’ video. Very raunchy!

21:13: Nice to see a bit of ‘Consideration’ from Rihanna’s new album ‘Anti’ getting an outing before going into lead single ‘Work’. Still no idea what on earth she is going on about. Absolute drivel.

21:08: Turns out the half naked lady from earlier was supposed to be a BRIT award. Clearly lost on me.

21:05: Unsurprisingly Biebs picks up the award for ‘Best International Artist’. Despite his philosophical acceptance speech, he seems to be the only artist tonight so far tonight to not take his award for granted.

21:04: Are Major Lazer the first people to face the right way when presenting an award? Definitely the first and probably only act to open with wagwan.

20:59: Really don’t understand how James Bay won Best British Male. Such an average performance.

20:55: Coldplay pick up Best British Group. Well deserved for Chris Martin’s humorous acceptance speech if nothing else. Would have been nice to see Foals pick up the award but this is the commercial BRIT awards after all.

20:45: Adele wins Best British single for ‘Hello’. Unsurprising given how big the song was but boring and predictable as far as the BRIT awards go. It almost feels as if the whole night is catered towards her. Multiple awards and no doubt that big finale performance. Loads of hype surrounding her but is she really worthy of all these awards? Hopefully she doesn’t win again so we don’t have to hear her speaking voice again.

20:44: Impossible not to love Ant & Dec. By far the best thing about the show so far.

20:41: Jess Glynne medley. Potentially the worst hair in music. She also has the worst fashion sense. However, her music is actually quite good and she’s got a cracking live voice.

20:40: Don’t really know why a half naked lady appeared in front of Ant & Dec then.

20:38: Did Tame Impala win that because they were the only band in attendance? The best of a very poor category. U2? Really?

20:28: James Bay really needs to get a new hat. On a serious note, James Bay has hardly been the Best British male of the last year though has he?

20:27: Kylie presenting Best British Male. Realistically the only time she’ll ever be on the BRITs stage again.

20:25: That jacket is still looking HOT.

20:22: Bieber ruins it when he speaks. He’s ditched James Bay too to perform ‘Sorry’. Without a doubt one of the best songs from last year.

20:20: Who would have thought a year ago it would have been cool to like Bieber? His jacket is almost as good as ‘Love Yourself’. James Bay getting in on the action too with his rolled up sleeves.

20:12: Talking of One Direction here are Louis & Liam for Best British Female. No surprises that Adele won, especially given the rest of the females in the category. Ant & Dec alluding to Adele’s infamous cut off speech from a few years ago has easily been the highlight of a rather tame BRIT awards so far.

20:11: Expecting Adele to clear up tonight. One Direction should win Best Video though for ‘Drag Me Down’.

20:05: On to the music and Coldplay kick off the show with ‘Hymn For The Weekend’. A slick performance from the band. Plenty of confetti as ever.

20:01: Already making light of last year’s infamous cape incident, Ant & Dec get this year’s BRIT awards off to a cracking start. The less said about that electronic opening, though, the better. What an absolute waste of time.

Two For Tunesday: 23rd February 2016

Catfish & The Bottlemen – Soundcheck

“I feel like the last album was the support band, or even the soundcheck and this one’s the headliner,” Van McCann said in regards to Catfish & The Bottlemen’s forthcoming second album. The band have released teaser track ‘Soundcheck’, the first new material since their critically acclaimed debut album ‘The Balcony’.

On first listen ‘Soundcheck’ certainly lives up to its billing of being louder and more brash than anything off the group’s first record. ‘Soundcheck’ is the sound of Catfish experimenting, broadening their musical horizons but maintaining the rawness of their original sound. It’s an exciting step forward for a band that look set to continue to build on the hype and success they’ve already become accustomed too.

Jake Bugg – On My One

Whereas Jake Bugg’s self-titled debut album received many plaudits, it was follow up ‘Shangri La’ that really grabbed my attention. Following intensive touring of the album, Bugg took a break last year, before returning to the studio to begin work on its follow up. Last week Bugg released ‘On My One’, the first taster from his forthcoming third album.

“I’m just a poor boy from Nottingham, I had my dreams but in this world they are gone,” Bugg sings in this slow, laid back number. At just over two minutes in length, ‘On My One’ doesn’t give too much away but is decent enough and further proof that Bugg is continuing to evolve as a musician.

Rihanna – Anti

Home to possibly the worst album campaign for some time, Rihanna’s ‘Anti’ was finally unleashed to the world last month, albeit initially for free via TiDAL. The question is, however, following over a year of build up, was the album actually worth the wait, and can anyone actually understand the Barbadian singer? 

Perhaps most notable on first glance at ‘Anti’ is the omission of all three of last year’s promotional singles; ‘FourFiveSeconds’, ‘Bitch Better Have My Money’ and ‘American Oxygen’. The good news, however, is that actual lead single ‘Work’, doesn’t set the precedent for the rest of the record. 

Opener ‘Consideration’ is one of the album’s most fascinating tracks, a curveball that sets the tone of the album nicely. ‘James Joint’ acts almost as an interlude than a song itself, whilst the 80s disco vibe of ‘Kiss It Better’ is about as commercial as ‘Anti’ gets. It’s Rihanna’s surprise cover of Tame Impala’s ‘New Person, Same Old Mistakes’ however, which is the record’s defining moment. Re-titled ‘Same Ol’ Mistakes’, Rihanna’s stamp on the track is even trippier than the original. ‘Desperado’, ‘Love On The Brain’ and the Florence + The Machine sampling ‘Goodnight Gotham’ act as other album highlights, whereas ‘Work’ really is the album’s only weak moment. 

Given its tiresome build up and its messy single releases, I was all ready to hate ‘Anti’. Like most, I’d written it off before I’d even heard it. However, Rihanna has surprised us all by producing one of the year’s most exciting and versatile records. Of course it would have been relatively easy for her to release another album full of club bangers, but that’s far too straight-forward for an artist of Rihanna’s nature. On ‘Anti’, Rihanna has gone completely left-field, throwing everyone off the scent and in doing so, has produced the most consistent and enjoyable record of her career thus far. There are only a handful of artists that could take a 3 year break from music and remain this relevant and be as prominent in the charts as Rihanna has, especially given such a risky release strategy. Despite the initial criticism, all things considered, Rihanna is back and is doing just fine.