May 2018 | Top 5 Albums of the Month

May was a Superb Month for Music as Parquet Courts among others showcase excellence

5. Chvrches – ‘Love Is Dead’

Since their debut album release (The Bones of What You Believe) back in 2011, Chvrhes have made themselves a band to keep an eye out for. Unfortunately their third release didn’t hit the heights of their debut, but it’s completely packed out with larger than life synth-pop tracks. Lauren Mayberry’s voice continues to be a perfect contrast for the bands sound, which can be heard at various different points in the album.

 

Top 3 Tracks : ‘Graffiti’ , ‘Miracle’ and ‘Wonderland’

4. PEACE – ‘Kindness is the New Rock and Roll’

Seeing Peace grow since their debut EP release Delicious it has been a very beautiful blooming into the band they are today. Their third album ‘Kindness is the New Rock and Roll’ was an interesting release for the band, as it seem to have more personal values at the heart of it, which can be heard on the track ‘From Under Liquid Glass’  making it the band’s most heartfelt release yet. You can also see evidence of Harrison Kossier taking huge strides in his songwriting and vocal performances, which is a welcome development. The band stepped slightly away from the sun kissed guitars and bouncy melodies for this one, as they prove their a multi-dimensional band.

Top 3 Tracks : ‘From Under Liquid Glass’ , ‘You Don’t Walk Away From Love’ and ‘Shotgun Hallelujah’

3. Courtney Barnett – ‘Tell Me How You Really Feel’

After a very well received debut album, Courtney really did have a lot of people building up the expectation for this release. Barnett really delivered with this album, the loud guitars combined with the complete raucous vocals helped it inhibit a very raw and real vibe. From the amazingly catchy ‘Nameless Faceless’ where she takes on internet trolls to ‘City Looks Pretty’ which delves into how weird life can really be at times. This release really fills me with anticipation for her next release, as it seems she has a knack of releasing high class albums. Full Album Review Here.

Top 3 Tracks : ‘Nameless Faceless’ , ‘Sunday Roast’ and ‘City Looks Pretty’

2. Arctic Monkeys – ‘Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino’

This was the Monkey’s sixth album release, and it caught a lot of attention due to the polar opposite opinions it drew from the bands core fan base. Some admired and enjoyed the release, some admired and disliked the release and some just flat out hated it. For me the album was a great turn for the Arctic Monkeys, one which saw them delve into the grounds that Bowie wasn’t too unfamiliar with. The album was filled with sleek, crooning tunes which just invited you into listen. Of course some people still yearn for the days when Turner would sing about waiting a bus stops and going out to town, but the fact is his influences have changed, and he’s leading a much different life now which will bleed into his music. All in all I’m glad the band were bold enough to take on something new, and they made it work in my eyes.

Top 3 Tracks : ‘Four Stars out of Five’ , ‘One Point Perspective’ and ‘She Looks Like Fun’

1- Parquet Courts – ‘Wide Awake’

Parquet Courts really made an exquisite album with ‘Wide Awake’. The band managed to stick to their lo-fi punk roots, however they developed it slightly which can be heard in the title track with the uses of the whistles, bongos and some other interesting elements. The album has such a great flow, with it slowing down every now and then for you to catch your breath which is needed after a song like ‘Normalization’. This really has all the components to be an album of the Year contender, and I’m sure at the end it will be in the conversation. Full album review here.

Top 3 Tracks : ‘Wide Awake’ , ‘Normalization’ and ‘Almost Had to Start a Fight/In and Out of Patience’

Thats the list for May 2018, did I miss anybody?

1. Words by Alex Wise @AJWise

 

Album Review | Colour Me Wednesday – ‘Counting Pennies In The Afterlife’

Colour Me Wednesday Impress with their Third Album Release

 

After being a band for over ten years (Since 2007) the band have released their third album, and it’s safe to say the band are still sticking to their honest indie/Punk roots. Since releasing their debut album I Thought it Was Morning in 2013, the band have gained themselves a strong following, it’s easy to see why when you listen to this latest album.

From the opening track ‘Sunriser’ you enter into a Worlds full of upbeat guitars and lyrics that everyone can related to with lines like “I Don’t wanna tempt fate but I’m surviving”, The tight guitars and drum beats that occur in this track are a staple of the entire album as each song has this manner of precise execution.

The album sways from pace to pace, and it’s encouraging to hear the band slow down in ‘Exposure’ where the acoustic guitar comes to the forefront and tangos with the vocals so well. It’s innocent sound is great, and the twinkle at the end of the track is a sweet touch.

Upbeat punchy tracks stick out throughout the tracklisting with ‘Heathers Left for Dead’ and  ‘Tinfoil’ are perfect examples, and have the quintessential of great indie songs. Even in ‘Entrepreneur’ has these sugar coated qualities that serve well in the hot summer sun.

Another feature which really lies in the bands favour is the exquisite harmonies which they nail every single time, complementing one anothers voices perfectly while telling tell-tale stories. A perfect example of this is the track ‘Disown’, showcasing all of their talents off perfectly.

‘Not My Turf’ is worthy of closing the album out as it clocks in just under 6 minutes, as the band present to you the longest track on the album. The slow build gets it’s glorious pay off at the end with guitars playing us out into distortion. At the end of the track we’re treated to hearing a child sing a song without a care in the World, which is a perfect way to end the album.

A great release from the band which they can be happy with, a solid indie album with a lot of tracks that will be a cornerstone to peoples Summers. If you’re in the mood to listen to some guilt free indie pop that will cheer you up look no further than this album.

Words by Alex Wise @AJWise

Interview w/ Peaness

With their gig at The Sunflower Lounge coming up in April, I managed to steal some time off Peaness member Jess to answer some questions!

First of all, last year was a very eventful year for you guys with you playing a ton of shows and supporting some amazing bands like The Big Moon & The Cribs. Which shows really stood out for you last year and why?

Hi! Thanks for getting in touch. Jess here!

Yep 2017 was pretty amazing for us and we had lots of amazing gigs, it’s difficult to narrow them down (and to recall them all!) but the shows with The Cribs were definitely a great way to end the year. We also had a couple headline shows in Manchester, the biggest being in the Soup Kitchen (which reached max capacity!) and to have so many people come and support us, especially away from home, was very special. Festival season was great last year as well, we played 2000 Trees, Truck, HANDMADE and main stage at Indietracks. To play big gigs like that really made us believe we’re actually an alright band!
I need to discuss with you about supporting The Cribs! I’m a huge fan of theirs, and when I found out you were supporting I was super excited. How did it come about? Am I right in thinking it was a last minute thing?

They literally messaged us on Twitter. Like “hey we’re the cribs wanna play some shows with us on tour? Peace”. Rach saw the message first and started freaking out in our little group chat like “GUYZ HAVE YOU SEEN TWITTER OMGOMGOMFG”. How could we refuse?

I also saw a picture of Gary Jarman wearing some very fetching Peaness gear, which was really cool to see. Did you get a chance to speak to the lads? Did they offer any advice going forward as band?

They were all super lovely and we were really glad they were so nice! You know when you meet “famous people” and sometimes you can be left disappointed because turns out they’re a dick, well absolutely none of that happened with the Jarmans. We got to hang out and eat their rider snacks, chat about bands and life being in bands, and being in a three piece band. Gary made sure he bought the tshirt as well which was a nice touch. They’re in our hearts forever.

This year has started off quite quickly for you as well, for example you supported the incredibly talented Indoor Pets for two shows, and it looks like you had a blast. What was it like supporting them? It must be so cool supporting bands that you enjoy and get on with.

Also another set of lovely people. We’re big fans of theirs and had been listening to them for ages, so to get to play a couple shows with them and hang out was awesome. I think we’re all life long friends now – at least I hope cos Jamie is an internet star and I want to be friends with an internet star.

I’m super excited that I’m getting to see you at The Sunflower Lounge in April! It’s also a headline show for you, which is even better. You’ve play the Sunflower Lounge before, what do you make of it, and are you looking forward to play there again?

We’re looking forward to returning to Birmingham, yes! Rach was born and raised in Dudley so it’s always special stopping at home towns. The sunflower lounge is quite pokey and intimate, so should be a nice atmosphere. Make sure to say hello!

You also announced a few festivals that you will be playing this year including Distortion, Sabotage and Handmade Festival! Which one are you looking forward to playing the most and why?

HANDMADE cos Indoor Pets are on the same day ❤ We’ve got a couple more to announce soon too.

Maybe it’s me being impatient, but are you guys looking to release any music by the end of year, I really enjoyed your debut EP ‘Are You Sure?’ last year but i’m craving more music!

Not telling.

On the subject of ‘Are You Sure?’ now it’s been out there for some time now, and you’ve had some time to reflect on the release, are you happy with how it’s been received? And what would you do differently for your next EP?

I think it’s done us well! We never really thought our band would come close to the level we’re at now, so we weren’t thinking about it too much at the time. For future releases however I think we’re going to take our time a bit more.

I know this is a bit out of left field. But last year was a great year for music, were there any particular albums that really stood out to you, and perhaps even any that influenced you?

It was a great year, off the top of my head a couple of my personal favourites were Andy Shauf – The Party, Alvvays – Antisocialite, and Phoenix – Ti’ Amo. But I think the state of the word influenced us more with our writing.

And in asking that, are there any albums that you’re particularly looking forward to this year?

New Courtney Barnett record, fo’ sure.

With us being 3 months into 2018, what will make this year a successful year for Peaness? What would you like to accomplish by the end of the year?

Write some banging new tunes.

Thanks so much for taking the time out Jess to answer these questions! You can buy tickets to all of Peaness’ upcoming shows in the links below, they’re all over the place so there should be one near you!

SEE PEANESS LIVE !!

April

7th – Soup Kitchen – Manchester – Tickets

20th – Louisiana – Bristol – Tickets

21st – Green Door Store/Distortion Fest – Tickets

24th – The Sunflower Lounge – **HEADLINE SHOW** – Birmingham – Tickets

28th – Night & Day/ Sabotage Fest – Manchester – Tickets

May

5th – O2 Academy/Handmade Fest – Leicester – Tickets

6th – Sound City – Liverpool – Tickets

7th – The Lexington – London – Tickets

8th – The Belgrave Music Hall – Leeds – Tickets

9th – The Lanes – Bristol – Tickets

10th – Central Station/Focus Wales – Wrexham – Tickets

11th – Cumberland Arms – Newcastle – Tickets

19th – The Great Escape Festival – Brighton – Tickets

27th – Alexander’s – Chester – Tickets

 

Single of the Week | The Arosa – ‘Cast Some Light’

 

It’s Sunday which means it’s time for Single of the Week here at WFM. This week we have The Arosa, an indie four-piece band from Birmingham. Their new track ‘Cast Some Light’  fully deserves the recognition this week, as this powerful track looks to bring some attention the bands way

The blistering intro to the song is enough to get you invested, as the empowered riff could wake you from the deepest of slumbers. The track is continuously at a high tempo as it comes across like it’s racing time.

The vocals are heavily coated under a blanket of noise which only adds to that lost sensation the track gives out. The highlight has to be the guitar solo, which really makes the track feel like a big deal, as it’s something that sounds like its been lifted from a Hendrix track. One thing is for certain coming out of this track, which is that the band clearly knows how to write a hook, and are worth keep an eye on for future releases as this looks like it’s only the beginning.

Words by Alex Wise @AJWise

That conclude this weeks Single of the Week, if you think you have a Single of the Week on your hands please email!

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Single Review: The Vincent(s) – ‘The Throne Song’/’Fever Dreams’

Cork band The Vincent(s) have released a double a-side single, and the first few times you listen to it, you won’t really know what to make of it.

They are a cross between Pearl Jam and what the Horrors sound like now. And that is no bad thing. “The Throne Song” is a hauntingly beautiful song, with melodic guitars and eerie high-hats in the background. It’s Goth pop at it’s best and wouldn’t sound out of place in a scene from World War Z.

“Fever Dreams” keeps up the Goth pop theme, is slightly faster paced and has pounding drums. The vocals are screechy, but that is most defiantly a complement. The accompanying guitars sound out of tune, but this is what makes the song good, and that little bit different to what’s going around at the minute.

The Vincent(s) are most defiantly a band to look out for, the psych/Goth/Indie pop is something that is for those with an acquired taste. This is a band for fans of the Horrors newer stuff, and it won’t be long until these Irish lads are hitting the big time.

https://www.facebook.com/thevincentsindrag?ref=hl

Words By Emma Lawrence

 

 

The Sea The Sea – Suba Rosa EP Review

 

Dreampop is risky business. You could record your album in a garage and hope it works, your music could get boring after 5 songs into your album, you could even shower your project with so much reverb it’d give the listener a headache. But mix solitary dreampop with post punk, along with influences of lucid dreaming, Roald Dahl, and a band who made possibly the most heart wrenching concept album of all time; well you’re onto something there, aren’t you?

I honestly can’t remember the last time the opening track of a project got me as hooked as The Sea The Sea’s has. The sweet leads and (furious/lonely/depressing/everything I could ever hope for in a voice) baritone are pinnacle highlights for Sub Rosa. But these vital elements compliment each other throughout the whole EP. Don’t ever think The Sea The Sea only pull off their shit for a single or two, oh no…they know what they’re doing. They know exactly what they’re doing. ‘These Shadows’ boasts relentless amounts of jangle-pop, a gorgeous melody…it’s a wonder why Captured Tracks haven’t got their hands on these guys yet. Layered, well planned, well played, with the cleanest production holding hands with that dirty bass in the verse – a brilliant start.

Track 2 ‘System Sleep‘ is also pretty special. The vocalist completely submits to confession after an emotional enough verse to belt out “and this is my soul shaking.”  Repeated over and over again. Reminiscent of The XX all over the place, a bit of folk music here and there; despite the change in pace to the previous song it’s still quite lovely. The (mostly) inevitable decline of the EP comes at the next track. There just seems to be a loss in spark on ‘What Came Before’.  The majority of the song is quite cheesy, the chorus doesn’t shout anything interesting, in fact I’d go as far as saying it sounds like a hymn. That’s not to say there aren’t great parts to this song, though. The actual climax of the song does drive it somewhat forward, and the verse is awfully catchy.

Sub Rosa ends with the fitting name of ‘Anemone’. Starting soft and quiet, and ending louder, harder, angrier; reminds me of Interpol’s The New. Contrary to The New though, ‘Anemone’ has no awe inspiring bass line, in fact a very minimal bassline. And with a song that should create a thunderous end to such a stellar EP, ‘Anemone’ feels somewhat half baked without the noticeable bass and deep element to the song. The closer is built up by light cymbal crashes, solos, and reverb that makes me shiver. Vocalist whispers about the oddness and eventual explosive end to relationships, “at least if we were still passionate, we could be deafened by heartbeats”, which then actually leads to him replicating that same explosive end with his voice. Bitter and emotional, but somewhat truthful.

If I had any more negative points to say about The Sea The Sea’s Sub Rosa, it’d only be the slightly off pitch vocals, and the strange falsetto vocals in between the thunderous baritone. But really, The Sea The Sea have made something very special here indeed. The production is so clean and these lads know what they’re doing to point. Almost miraculously, reverb isn’t overused but neither does it sound out of place. They’re tight, succinct, clever, and just really fucking emotional. The mood is melancholy, the singing is melancholy, the lyrics are melancholy, but if melancholy sounds this beautiful, give it to me everyday.

7/10

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Words by Saagar Kaushik

@bhench0d

Little Brother Eli – Little Brother Eli EP

You’d think with The Strypes hitting the scene there’d be a tsunami of rock and roll, and blues rock bands buzzing all over the place. Woodstock would be relived, rockstars would set their guitars on fire again and we’d start taking tabs whilst listening to Hendr…Well yeah that does seem a bit far fetched. But despite The Strypes’ recent (and possibly given to them on a silver platter for singing pretentious songs) success, there’s been a serious lack of blues bands, especially the more mature ones. If you really did want something interesting and current though, you’d find yourself all over the internet and end up at Little Brother Eli’s EP.

EP opener Animal Fair has the classic blues opener of the singer crooning with impeccable power, leading to the the fuzz of the guitar charging through the song. The riff is pretty catchy too, but the production of an unsigned band becomes quite evident here with the fuzz occasionally overwhelming the whole song, and the screeches of the guitar making me wince. The breakdown doesn’t do much to the song except propel the following solo. And oh man, does this make the song, I just wish it was longer.

From their website, Soundcloud tags, and Facebook page, Little Brother Eli make a point to tell the world their hip-hop influence. It’s not too explicit, in fact the subtlety of it is really refreshing. A lovely fusion of blues, rock and hip-hop, without sounding like Nu-Metal? Yeah I can live with that. I get a hint of Justin Timberlake in track two Awkward Positions, and who wouldn’t love that? The song flows along with a jazzy drum beat, warbling chords, and a lead that’d remind anyone of the most tempting femme fetal. There’s something special about the singer of this band, his vocal range is pretty wide and he could easily go absolutely massive with his delivery.

The EP closer When She Sings, though is the special one. The soft, feel good, reminiscent of Little Joy album closer that could soundtrack any love story. The vocals in this are just beautiful while the singer fluctuates the melody so modestly. And just for the hell of it what do Little Brother Eli do? Incorporate some ska-type guitar work to give it even more of a dance-y mood. As the song gets heavier to add more depth in places, the melody just makes it all the more sweeter when at the same time backing vocals bless the track. Ending back on the classic acoustic guitar, well, it’s almost too good to be true isn’t it?

Little Brother Eli love their classics, and this first EP bleeds classics. It’s likeable, fun to listen to, and really catchy in some places too. Although at times production is a bit rusty, and the songwriting seem a bit immature, the substance is there nonetheless. I can only see them developing into a band that’ll define their sound later on to form something very great indeed.

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Words by Saagar Kaushik

@bhench0d

6/10

 

Burning Condors – Love on The Rocks

Band: Burning Condors

Hometown: London

Influences/Sounds like: Joy Division, Bowie,

Burning Condors has that sound to them which could be easily mistaken by a passer-by as just plain noise, nothing more, but for someone who actually likes these trashy sounds and screeching vocals, it’s actually quite good. ‘Love on The Rocks’ melody is nothing short of perfect, in fact it could be a pop song if they toned down those guitars (which we don’t want to happen), the bands has been described as what Blur would have been like if they grew up listening to Carl Perkins, which is the best way it could be put.

The fast paced riff, vocals and drums all come together to provide 3 minutes of pure energy, making the song perfect for a scene in a film where the main character has go wild on drugs and women, like Henry Hill in Goodfella’s. This is not a one off for the Burning Condors as all of their songs have this raw edge that deserves a strong crowd on the end of it. Having already got a fair a number of listeners attached to their songs, there’s no doubt that they’re heading in the right direction, hopefully Birmingham will be next on the agenda for the London four-piece.

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The Courteeners – That Kiss

This was the first song I heard by The Courteeners, and after I heard it, I just had to hear more of them, they’re were that addictive. It was just Liam Fray’s voice, soft and delicate but at the same time able to turn it into something aggressive.

This song is quite an old one, like one of the first ones they brought, and they didn’t put it on album they just released it as a single, which makes it that bit more special.

When you start listening to it you start to think that this is just going to be a soppy love song, with him moaning (bit like Luke Pritchard) and it is a bit, but a bit more beautiful and with a nice hook line. Then the drums kick in! BANG! Then the chorus comes in, and when you listen to that, that’s when you should understand what I said about his soft voice. The lyrics to the song are is where I think it sort of detaches itself from a cheesy pop song, because if the lyrics contained a few more cliche love song lines, then it could of easily become a cheesy pop song, but it didn’t, so it isn’t. When you look at the lyrics on a bit of paper, they don’t look like something you’d sing, a bit like the Arctic Monkeys, when you read their lyrics, they don’t look like lyrics.

I think The Courteeners as a band are quite underrated and don’t really get enough credit for what they’ve done. The first album is brilliant, once it’s in my car it’s there for a good 2-3 weeks before I take it out, also their second album is good as well, very different to their first album, but still very strong. Anyway listen to the song, comment, sorry it’s a very short post, but I’m tired.