The Rifles – None The Wiser

After a three year wait indie rock underdogs The Rifles have finally come up with their fourth album entitled None the Wiser. Also after their well-received previous album ‘Freedom Run’ which got an 8/10 from that marmite like magazine the NME, they want to make sure they don’t drop the standards.

If you are familiar with what they have done in the past, then you pretty much know what you’re in for, and they don’t disappoint with as they deliver exactly what you expect. The album kicks off with ‘Minute mile’ which is riddled with a catchy pop riff and that same attitude that they have always carried along with them.

The album doesn’t let up with as ‘Heebie Jeebies’ and ‘Go Lucky’ follow the same pace and angst that was introduced by the first song. ‘All I need’ is the first song that gives the ears a rest momentarily; this is because an acoustic guitar is introduced along with a harmonica. On the surface it could easily sound like your generic acoustic song especially with the song title. However the band walks the cheese tight rope and don’t slip up at any point.

‘Catch Her in the Rye’ finally picks the album back up again with a riff that bounces round like a big round bouncy ball in a bouncy castle. ‘Shoot from the lip’ has a certain Shadow Puppets feel to it with the some dark parts edging out at the corners, which would put a shiver down a killers spine. Unfortunately the album is cursed with a bad song which is ‘Electric Eccentric’, it’s uplifting feel and sound feels forced and not genuine, which never leads a good taste in the mouth.

If they lost you with ‘Electric Eccentric’ then they probably will win you back over with ‘Under and Over’, although uplifting, this time it seems real and genuine, and with an upbeat dream drum beat a guitar under it manages to be one of the highlights of the album.

Overall the album the album proves to be another good instalment by The Rifles as they continue to produce solid indie lad-rock that you can depend on.

6.5/10

Review by Alex Wise @al4563 or alex4563@hotmail.co.uk

The Velocets – Unsigned Band – Sophie

 

Intro

I found about this band today, I liked them, so I’m going to write about them. Quite a good system, spontaneous. This is quite good as well, because this blog means I’m keeping on track with my 2 a week.

Okay, the band comes from Manchester, quite a lot of bands I look at come from Manchester, which tells me it miles better than then where I live. They’ve been together since early 2012, so quite new to it all as it’s only September. However they’ve all been separate bands before so they’ve all got experience, and obviously different ideas since they came from different bands. They haven’t even been together a year, and they’ve already got 1,000 fucking likes on Facebook, so they’re doing something right.

They’ve also had some festival experience playing at Friends of Mine Festival, Manchester Academy, Cloud 9, Dry Bar and Rock on the Rocks. Their EP ‘Sophie’ was picked by the BBC and got airplay on the show.

The Music

I’m going just going to be looking at the song ‘Sophie’, which was the first one I heard when I went on their facebook. That isn’t the reason for blogging about this one, I listened to them all and this one really stood out.

I’ve heard a lot of shit music, and you can tell when you listen to it immediately that it is shit, and you turn it off because it’s unfair on your ears. When I started to listen to this, that didn’t happen, there wasn’t an ounce of that when I heard the start of it and none of those feelings appeared while I was listening to it, because it’s that good.

One of my favorite things to hear in a song, is unease, making the song a bit eerie and that songs has that, not too much of it that it sounds fucking shit but just enough to make it interesting. They created that eeriness that I enjoy so much by the riff they have at the start and the effect they had on the vocals, which stud out because only a few bands do this to the vocals, and I think it;s a good effect when used correctly. As well as those two factors which make it eerie, there’s also the lyrics that add to this, the most notable one being ‘well i feel, feel so ugly, but I’ve seen, people love it/me’ (I haven’t worked that lyric out yet). Another factor a good song needs is a good hook line, a good chorus that people can shout and that song has that too, with that same eeriness (should stop using that word). The break near towards the end of the song is something the should be noted, quite a grungy part, like The Cribs – Belly in The Brazen Bull.

Overrall

I can’t really compare this to anybody, I don’t think there is a band that I can put them next too. Overall, I like the sound they create and it works well with the vocals. This is band that I will be keeping an eye on, and hopefully I will go to Manchester and see all these bands that I wanna see, including these. Here’s the places where you can hear their music, oh and when you listen to it, LOUD, have it LOUD.

http://www.facebook.com/Velocets

http://www.reverbnation.com/velocets

And get them on the old twitter, https://twitter.com/Velocets_UK

TRIBES – BABY-13/04/2012 – AW

I was meant to review this album, quite a while back. When I first brought it was about a week after the release date and I sort of thought “that’s too late, the whole world has reviewed it now,I’mm way too late”. But, I think it’s got to that stage now that it doesn’t matter that it’s a bit late, no one will judge me, also it’s give me some more time to listen to it and reflect on it (probably shouldn’t do it while listening to pulp on youtube, the his n hers album thankyou to the person who suggested I should listen to it).

First Listen

When I first heard them, I wasn’t to struck by them really, I was late again the first time I saw them was on Soccer AM when they were promoting their tour and this album and ‘sappho’  was played on there and I thought “yeah that’s pretty catchy, not that good though”. After a few days, I remember the song was still stuck in my head, and when that happens you have to go back to it and listen to it, then it hit me.

Getting in to em’

After that, I was just trying to find everything that they’d done, I watched acoustic sessions, interviews and tried to listen to their whole back catalogue in about an hour, obviously that didn’t work also I found that the songs didn’t really sink in, never do really on the laptop so I brought the album too put in the car.

Like this photo because Johnny Lloyd (bloke in the middle) looks like a bit of a midget, like a little gnome/elf man.

In the car

This is where the songs really sunk in, because I left it in there for about week and it’s when you listen to an album over and over again you find the songs you love and the songs that don’t really do it for you. I found out that they were pretty good, just wish I could of got into em’ earlier because would of brought their first vinyl release ‘we were children’, which I can’t seem to find anywhere any more. The one I really took to in the car was himalaya because it went on for ages and had that dread sound to it which I really liked, and at some parts in the song I sort of felt I was on top of mountain singing it sometimes.

Overall

7.5

Right, lets rap this up got other important stuff to do. The album overall is good, wouldn’t say it’s perfect or really just good. This is because I found myself at times thinking “ahh, turn this one off”, and I’d skip it then I’d skip another song, fuck! Double skipping on an album not good really. I think when it starts getting sunny again I’ll start listening to it felt like it was a bit of a summer album with the sound of it and the riffs.  The good songs on the album are REALLY good, it’s just some of the songs on the album aren’t as good, bit flabby and I thin those songs drag it down a bit, the songs like ‘Half way home’, ‘nightdriving’,’walking in the street’.

Songs to hear

‘Sappho’

‘Himalaya’

‘We were children’

‘Alone or with friends’

 

Miles Kane – First of my kind

Miles Kane - First of my kind

Bit late I know, well only a day late but still late. Miles’ new track, which will be on his new EP that will be coming out on the April 21st, which I’m really excited about because his first album was such a s success, probably one of my favourites albums that I’ve got.

If you liked all the songs on the first album then you will like this, because it’s more of the same stuff, he’s Lennon-like vocals screaming on the track, loud, and quite horrifying at the beginning of the song, a lot like some of The Last of The Shadow Puppets Stuff. His lyrics just keep getting better, and I think that this song proves that.

When Miles first album came out, I didn’t really think it was going to be as good as it was (it stayed in my car for a good month), and now he’s following it up with this equally as strong, if not stronger song. I think we can expect good things of this EP, and expect good things off Miles for a long time, whether with or without Turner.

HAVE A LISTEN!

 

 

The Coral – Dreaming of you – 13/03/2012 – AW

The Coral

Probably shouldn’t writing this while I’m listening to Paul Weller’s new album ‘Sonik kicks’, which sounds promising so far, three tracks in ad quite good, it’s another step in the ‘Wake up the nation’ direction, which isn’t a bad thing just prefer his acoustic stuff, so there will probably a post about that album tomorrow, gimme chance to listen to it.

Anyway, I’m supposed to be bloggin about The Coral, yeah, well I chose to do write about this song because I heard it on the radio today and I thought, “shit, ain’t heard this in a while, this is fucking great”, and that’s when I decided to write about it. So, The Coral? They started in 1996, and are still doing stuff now, don’t think they’re doing a fat lot though because haven’t really heard about them for a while.

This is probably one of their most recognised songs, it featured on their debut album entitled ‘The Coral’, and only got to #15 in the charts, which I’m surprised about because it’s a catchy little song, which the public normally like and adhere to. They’ve got other great songs, buy the ‘best of The Coral’ and you’ll know what I mean, can’t be arsed to go through em’ all getting tired, feel like rubbish and still gotta do my 20 minutes on the bike (getting fit and that). I’m sure everyone has heard it somewhere, it’s one of those songs you’ve just heard of, whether it was when you was walking the dog and the man walking driving past has got it playing his car, an advert, your mate playing it, there is so many ways you could of heard it and you probably have. You only have to listen to one second of it, then you will be able to remember it.

The Coral

Arctic Monkeys – Teddy Picker

Them, just looking cool and shit.

 

I love the Arctic Monkeys new stuff, I think it’s really different, quite experimental and just genuinely brilliant. However, you can’t beat a bit of their old material, I mean not a lot of bands have a brilliant first album *cough* Libertines, but they did. Then they followed it up with an album which is equally good I believe, Favourite Worst Nightmare is probably one of the most favourite albums, and mainly because it’s got this fucking brilliant tune on, which never fails to get me to start jumping in my car, sounds like it’s impossible, but if you really try it’s achievable, not very rewarding though.

The boys, when they were young, well they're young now, but there even younger in this photo.

When I went to see them live, this is the first song they played and right they were to play it because this song could get you up for anything for instance going to the shops, walking the dog or going to funeral, you get it now, it gets you up for literally anything. One thing Alex is just a complete master at,apart from all the other million things he’s a master at is he can come up with just simple, catchy but perfect  riffs. Showed this talent on a number of occasions, I’m not going to make out a list, if you really wanna find out, have a listen. Another brilliant things Alex is good at is writing extremely clever, witty and wordy lyrics for e.g. “Despair to the point where they provoke You to tell the fucking punchline before you have told the joke”. Again, if you wanna find out listen to some of his other songs, I’ll put the songs below so you can have a bit of a gander.

Wanna know a bit of a fact they may or may not be true, make of it what you will:

The phrase “teddy picker” refers to an arcade game where a toy crane is maneuvered by a joystick to pick out a prize such as a teddy bear.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm….. Interesting.

The Town – Who Can You Trust

This band is from round my area, they originate from Wolverhampton and I’m from Walsall so that makes them from round my area. They’ve only been together for about 2 years, and they’ve come quite a far way having played the Isle of Wight festival and quite a few gigs. They’re a Mod band, getting influences from The Jam, Oasis, Small faces, The enemy bands like that.

I personally think their music is different to anything that is out there at the moment, there’s no young band really that is flying the MOD flag, and I think we need that. When you think of MOD music you think of attitude, a distinct voice and just great music and they don’t lack in any of those departments, and I think this song proves it. It’s got a great riff that goes on throughout the song, and when it stops you’ve got Jack (the lead singer) singing, which is strong. Now the solo isn’t fast paced or filled with a million notes, but it’s still brilliant because it’s simple and is catchy and keeps you interested in the song. The song isn’t wordy, but that doesn’t matter because it is a good piece of music.