Category: Buzz Chart

RJD2 is a staple of the underground hip hop scene and returns with a new album The Colossus on January 19th.

The Philly based, Ohio-raised produced broke through with his Def Jux released albums Deadringer and Since We Last Spoke before venturing off into less hip hop based music with his The Third Hand album on XL. Three years later and RJ is back, bringing out his new record on his own label, RJ’s Electrical Connections and, it seems, going back to his hip hop roots.

Snippets were posted on his site along with the full version of Games You Can Win which features the vocal talents of Kenna, to give fans an idea of what to expect. But it’s on this new track, which you can hear by watching the video below, Let There Be Horns, that RJ’s percussion come back to the fore. The horns of the title are prevalent and the synths add dimension to the track but it’s the drums, those oh so brilliant drums, that do the damage.

Have a watch as the Minotaur gets a little stressy and ruins RJ’s shop in this great video and get hyped for the rest of the album, it’s sure to be a winner.

Abjekt.

Fresh off the back of their superb second album Exploding Head last year, NYC noisemongers A Place to Bury Strangers are back with brand new single, Keep Slipping Away. As you might expect from a band whose influences are firmly rooted between My Bloody Valentine and Jesus and Mary Chain, this is loud and uncompromising slice of psychedelic rock.

Having made a name for themselves in recent years through their deafening live performances, they have now added another string to their bow by proving themselves as a quality recording band. Keep Slipping Away is the perfect example of this; while still as noisy as ever, more clarity has been given to the vocals and the songs driving rhythm is, dare I say it, catchy. Make no mistake, however, while the band may have tightened their production, the songs themselves are as beefy as ever.

The accompanying video, directed by Brendan Bellomo and Greg Wilson, is also worth a watch; capturing the band playing with old televisions and retro technology. The typically cool visuals play out like a bizarre David Cronenberg inspired short film, working perfectly with the bands 80’s musical influences.

Sleekly Lion.

And so, after forging themselves one hell of a fanbase completely independent of any major label, You Me At Six return with second album ‘Hold Me Down‘ and a little extra push from Virgin Records.

No strangers to writing a catchy tune having released an album full to the brim of them in 2008 with ‘Take Off Your Colours’, YMAS have fast become a teen favourite, selling out headline tours in their own right as well as supporting the likes of US pop-punk heavyweights Paramore and Fall Out Boy.

The album’s lead track ‘The Consequence‘ sets it off to a flying start a with a tightly paced verse-chorus pattern seeing the band let loose to a certain degree in the choruses. But the song peaks with the breakdown right at the end which features a full-on incorporation of the band’s most melodic traits and some more aggressive riffing and background screams to add an edge. It’s imperative to start as you mean to go on after all.

The album unfolds with angsty lyrics as is to be expected but there is definitely a jubilant air about these songs as the band are clearly living their dream and, considering that in many ways this is just the beginning, they have achieved pretty heady heights of success so far.

Instead of clicking play above this time, drop your eyes down and check out the song by watching the video.

Winegums.

Four Letter Word is officially The Band that Would Not Die ™. They’ve been through so many line-ups and bust ups in the past 18 years it would surely take a Tony Robinson lead Time Team styled excavation to unravel this South Wales bands turbulent history. But here they are, back again, another line-up, a brand new album, and still roaring a familiar battle cry.

Singer Welly is the only constant, and, in a recording capacity, Leatherface growler Frankie Stubbs, who has now handled production duties on all 4 FLW albums. You can imagine those two at the mixing desk, gargling on tankards of gravel and whiskey, exchanging tales from brutal campaigns on the frontline…

And it’s tales that these songs tell, crisp and punchy tuneage with biographical narratives spanning adolescent days of being put down and maligned, to present day anger at an increasing Orwellian landscape, fuelled with bitterness and frustration at a punk rock scene the wordsmith decrees too competitive and merely built on flash-in-the-pan 5 minute fashionistas. He has a point, but we’re living in different era now, a million miles away from the heady days when folk like Welly cut his chops. And those times are not coming back.

The theme of reflection weighs heavy on this album, and goes right on thru to passionate closer “Street Where I Grew Up”… “counting cracks in the pavement in the summer sun, chip off the old block, my father’s son”… sentimental discourse, and, dare I say it, all part of the maturing process. I can relate.

I thought FLW reached their pinnacle with 2005’s cracking “Like Moths to A Flame” album, and sure enough this collection of 10 songs didn’t immediately make similar impact. But subsequent plays have seen them grow on me, with pace. All told a tidy piece of work.

Pete Craven

Peter Broderick is so talented it makes me sick. I in fact have become so absorbed in this 22 year old’s (I know, right?!) music that I’ve essentially become metabolically addicted to the notes he plays. Additionally, the scenic worlds and nostalgic colours that emerge from his melodies, if you’re lucky enough to suffer from synesthesia, make listening to him feel like being at a spectacular fireworks display, only a quiet, serene and peaceful one.

His first ‘proper’ album, Home was dropped amidst a myriad of other albums that may or may not be considered ‘proper’ (and indeed they were all less proper but more totally incredible), got some pretty unfair comments from some reviewers. Not experimental enough some will say, or too pleasant. Too pleasant? Even if we ignore the meticulous but natural experimentation of Ten Duets or Music For Falling From Trees – and both came out this year, what’s your excuse, better paid musicians? – is it wrong in a world where technology has sodomised us, our social lives and gobbled up our values as if we laid them out on a buffet table but didn’t expect so many people to turn up, to just sit down and enjoy ‘nice’ music.

Second Home is the re-release of the never-too-pleasant Home, and features a bonus disc of ten previously unreleased tracks. Never ever contrived and rarely does it fall below beautiful, this album should make you delirious, in a good way.

Stanley.

Peter Broderick is so talented it makes me sick. I in fact have become so absorbed in this 22 year old’s (I know, right?!) music that I’ve essentially become metabolically addicted to the notes he plays. Additionally, the scenic worlds and nostalgic colours that emerge from his melodies, if you’re lucky enough to suffer from synesthesia, make listening to him feel like being at a spectacular fireworks display, only a quiet, serene and peaceful one.

His first ‘proper’ album, Home was dropped amidst a myriad of other albums that may or may not be considered ‘proper’ (and indeed they were all less proper but more totally incredible), got some pretty unfair comments from some reviewers. Not experimental enough some will say, or too pleasant. Too pleasant? Even if we ignore the meticulous but natural experimentation of Ten Duets or Music For Falling From Trees – and both came out this year, what’s your excuse, better paid musicians? – is it wrong in a world where technology has sodomised us, our social lives and gobbled up our values as if we laid them out on a buffet table but didn’t expect so many people to turn up, to just sit down and enjoy ‘nice’ music.

Second Home is the re-release of the never-too-pleasant Home, and features a bonus disc of ten previously unreleased tracks. Never ever contrived and rarely does it fall below beautiful, this album should make you delirious, in a good way.

Stanley.

Manchester Orchestra are one of the bands I’ve heard a lot about but never seemed to give a chance, so when I received their new record “Mean Everything to Nothing” it was a perfect time to give them a try. This album is their second official release and after listening I can see why they have gained such notoriety.

The first song The Only One is a chirpy upbeat track that sets an instant tone for the album, serving as a really good opener. While this C.D’s spinning in my laptop I’m wondering why I ever overlooked this band. The next song Shake it Out may not be as upbeat as the first track however it still has the same feel to it, giving the album consistency, which is lacking so much in bands these days.

Singer Andy Hull’s voice has a certain honesty too it, the kind of honesty you hear when you listen to a Bright Eyes record, this gives the album a whole new level of personality and depth. Even with lyrics such as “I’ve got friends in all the right places,” it still sounds tortured. One thing that makes me even more excited about this record is when I hear a piano playing; something I think fits perfectly with genuine emo/indie music.

Manchester Orchestra have really impressed me with this record, and I’d dare to say it shines out through the dim glow of the emo music scene of today, even outshining Brand New’s latest release. When I say emo I don’t mean the kind of kids with black nail varnish and fringes you see running around on Hollyoaks, I mean the kind that came out of the mid west in the 90’s, so don’t be offended if you love Manchester Orchestra and don’t think they sound like My Chemical Romance.

Mean Everything to Nothing is the kind of record that people will really take to the heart and treasure; I would compare it to the likes of Desaparecidos, Brand New, early Biffy Clyro (so it’s no surprise that they’re supporting them on tour next month) and Cursive, but if you are a fan of anything that came out of the 90’s you’ll find some attraction in this band!

If I haven’t convinced you yet I really think you should give this album a try, as I’m regretting not giving this band a try earlier than I did, so go check it out, give it a listen and try to dislike it.

Jonathan Teggert