Top 10 Albums to look forward to in 2018!

With 2017 being such a good year for music with Father John Misty releasing a great album, along with Wolf Alice and Mount Eerie also producing two top class albums, what should we be looking forward to in 2018?

10. Table Scraps – ‘Autonomy’ 

February 2018

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/5XKjsh8YlXVLexKCTllATG

This is a bit of a cheat on my side as I have already heard the album, however it still will be big when it’s released in February. Table Scraps have been around for a while now and have released some great EP’s and Singles, but they are yet to release the big one. Finally this year they have bought it to us, and you will not want to miss it. Filled with heavy guitars and punching drums, each song has it’s own swagger and it will surely be an underdog for one of the albums of the year.

9. Pale Waves – ‘TBA’

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/324lOBmPbUuIi5Ra2KKz8O

After hearing so many great things about this band, it’s exciting to see what they can produce over an album. They’ve already had some good releases with ‘My Obsession‘ and ‘Television Romance‘ , but it’s quite the challenge to produce something of that quality over the course of a 10-12 song stretch.

8. Peace – ‘TBA’

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/4Upj1Jx9qIM1MKyE5Bn5DP

The Birmingham band haven’t released an album since 2015 with ‘Happy People’ however they still have people waiting on the edge of their seat for their brand new album. After releasing ‘From Under Liquid Glass’ they’ve got people talking, and if the album piggie backs from what that song gave us, it’s certain it will be another strong release from the established PEACE.

7.CHVRCHES -‘TBA’

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/1Tlk5UV5vbff34BPJHCaZy

CHUVRCHES were a band that were heavily lauded in 2013 with their release of their debut album  ‘The Bones Of What You Believe’,  as they managed to bring a twist to an electronic sound that was slowly losing pace. After the release of their second album, the band clearly showed that they still have so much to offer, hopefully 2018 they can prove that.

6. The Vaccines – ‘TBA’

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/0XiZ2H6hFwXGm5CjoJza0a

When The Vaccines came bursting onto the scene in 2010, indie rock seemed to have hit a slight slump and they gave it the injection. Eight years later and 3 albums deep the band have established themselves as one of the UKs better bands, however they still have a lot to prove after the release of English Graffiti  in 2015, which didn’t hit everyone like their debut did.

 

5. The 1975 – ‘Music For Cars’

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/6BPpeUq5q7cHzoa35HHmNL

The 1975 seems to have always been fighting off this plastic hollow-pop stereotype since they were favoured so heavily by the likes of Radio 1 and getting quite a lot of publicity. However Matt Healy and the guys have such a lot to offer, as they dive into depths of what it’s like being a kid, growing up and falling in love. The bed of music they produce along with Matts unique vocal style, they bring something different to the table, and ‘Music For Cars’ will defnitely be another good installment from the band.

4.  Julian Casablancas & The Voidz – ‘TBA’

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/2avCzL6HtaJ5Nspq2fVFQe

Since the start of The Strokes Julian Casablancas has established himself as a unique vocalist that never seems to put out anything bad. His music always has that raw edge, while he always puts his own label on it. However his run with The Voidz hasn’t kicked off the way it perhaps should have, with their debut album not leaving a lasting impression. It will be interesting to hear now the band have spent some real time together crafting this new album.

3. Frank Ocean – ‘TBA’

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/6Nle9hKrkL1wQpwNfEkxjh

Frank Ocean has become a loved artist in many genres because of the innovative and versatile albums that he’s put together. Whether it’s rapping, singing or harmonising, he can do it to a very good standard. Blonde was incredible back in 2016, and with this habit of making everything he touches turn to sweet music, this new project looks promising.

2. Arctic Monkeys -‘TBA’

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/5FVd6KXrgO9B3JPmC8OPst

Ah, the Arctic Monkeys, the ever changing band that consistently put out great tunes since they first banded together. However their latest instalment ‘AM‘ gathered the band some mixed reactions, which they have never be shy of as pockets of fans clamour for the days when Turner would sing about drinking in Sheffield. As much as some hope I don’t think this new album will be a return to the past, but another move on into the future as the bad constantly evolve, and the same is bound to happen again.

1- Father John Misty -‘TBA’

https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/7oicWlCIeYclL5eUYFpXfz

After last years album Father John Misty well and truly put himself on the map, as he released possibly the best album in 2017. Also with another one on the way, if this could be just as good we could be looking at a very special period for Josh Tillman as he corners songwriting and has it at his mercy. I don’t know how long FJM is planning to keep this run going, but while it is lets just drink coffee and enjoy.

NEW MUSIC NOW! Bayonet – ‘Everything’

 

Today featuring on NEW MUSIC NOW we have a popular act hailing from Sheffield called Bayonet with their new track ‘Everything’, although they’ve been on the radar for a while the right time never came to feature them, but now the stars are aligned and everything is in place. The track will be released on Scruff of the Neck Records, an increasingly popular label around the area.

The track is really bright and vibrant with the clean cut singing and a popping guitar attracting some similarities to The 1975, however the band do not rip them off at all as they only have subtle influences while maintaining their own vibe. With the song just clocking in under three minutes it makes a great pop song, as it’s so easy to be caught up singing along after listening for one minute.

The catchy riff is possibly the highlight of the song because it’s just so infectious yet simple, who said everything had to be complex. The production is perfect as everything sounds clear as bell and has a very professional style from start to finish, and it has been overly tampered with as everything sounds clean and raw.

This should be the start the catalyst for the band to go on and release more new music, and hopefully it reaches the bar that they have set themselves with this track.

Words by Alex Wise @al4563

Live Review: The 1975 – WOLVERHAMPTON CIVIC HALL – 29TH SEPTEMBER

 

After seeing The 1975 put on an impressive set at Reading that had girls screaming, crying and fainting the next step was to see the band in a more intimate capacity. Luckily the chance came sooner rather than later as they were playing one of best venues near my town, the Wolves Civic, which provided me with the best opportunity to see the lads exactly how I wanted to.

Manchester act Y.O.U were one of the support bands and they provided a great opening set as they slowly built the place up with energy as people began arrive and fill the room up. The band looked confident and comfortable which is good to see from a support act because it shows they’re not fearful of a crowd.

The crowd were then treated to Circa Waves as their other support act and they were treated because they put on a blistering performance which won a lot of the crowd over by the end. Their upbeat indie songs managed to get the crowd geared up for The 1975 as well as earn them some well-deserved likes on Facebook.

Once the Circa Waves vacated the stage the wait was on, and everybody was eager to see a glimpse of Matty Healy’s perm bouncing around on the stage.

The 1975 have one of the best build ups to walking on stage ever , the room gradually turns slightly darker and the walk-on music slowly builds up without you really noticing, then a beaming light shines through and long the wait is over. It doesn’t sound half as good when reading about it, but when you experience it, you will understand.

The band burst on to the stage like a bunch of seasoned veterans as they soak up everything the crowd have to offer before bursting into their opening song ‘The City’. The song is a perfect opener because it crashes in and you’re immediately taken back and ready for whatever the band have to throw at you throughout the night.

The gig flows through like a dream as there’s no dead space in the set because everything is covered so expertly. If it’s not a small instrumental it’s Matt addressing the crowd, if it’s not Matt addressing the crowd it’s the synth going off, and if it’s not the synth going off it’s the lads playing through a catchy number.

Each song received an amazing reception because everyone in packed their was just that into them, however fan favourites ‘Settle Down’, ‘Heart Out’ and ‘Girls’ received a heightened reception due to their prominence on the album.

They effortlessly switch the pace throughout the set and for most acts that wouldn’t work, but The 1975 have found a perfect blend for their setlist because it just flows due to the continuous quality in each of their songs. For example they would be playing through the slow-pace ‘(So Far) It’s Alright’ and then burst into the louder and faster-paced ‘TALK!’.

The set has this healthy blend of songs from their popular debut album and their less popular EP’s ‘IV‘ and ‘Music For Cars‘, which keeps the set fresh because a lot of people haven’t heard that material and they will actively go back and listen to it so they can be part of the communal singing.

For as long as the band go on, I can never see them finding a better combination of encore songs because ‘Robbers’, ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Sex’ are too big and far too good to be substituted. Those are the songs that keep the crowd anticipated because they’re gagging to hear those songs and when they’re played it’s like the entire crowd have forgot who they are because they’re just purely in the moment.

The 1975 proved to me once again that they’re not just hollow pop band that sing about girls, but they’re a serious band with some credible songs in their arsenal. Of course they will never get everyone on side because for some reason those people can’t get passed their songs like ‘Chocolate’ or ‘Sex’ ,but once you do get past those and listen to the other songs and find out the meaning behind them there’s something special and relatable there for everyone.

Words by Alex Wise @al4563