Album Review ~ We The Kings ~ Somewhere Somehow

Hello!

Welcome to blog post 36! Today I have an album that I have been listening to since its release last year and a band that I've been following for a good 2/3 years. 

We The Kings are a pop-punk band from Florida, USA and have always been a band I can fall back on for some great music. Their previous albums were a fantastic listen, as it was some ace American pop-punk tunes. Catchy, grungy, rocky with that dose of pop sprinkled on it to make me not listen to them.

We The Kings members are:

Travis Clark - Vocals/Guitar
Hunter Thomsen - Guitar/ Backing Vocals
Charles Trippy - Bass
Coley O'Toole - Keys/Backing Vocals/Guitar
Danny Duncan - Drums/ Percussion

I originally got into the band through Youtuber and bassist of the band Charles Trippy (CTFxC) when he had just joined the band (along with Coley O'Toole). I checked them out and I loved their sound they were producing and was surprised they weren't as well known as they were back in 2011. Releasing albums such as "Sunshine State of Mind" and "Smile Kid" they have just been escalating in their fame which is great to see because these guys deserve it! 

I went to see them live at the beginning of 2013 at Scala in London. Its safe to say, these guys rock on stage. The amount of energy they put into their shows is insane. They even made Hunter disappear with the insane amounts of smoke they were churning out in that small venue. A fantastic night and I was lucky enough to meet the band afterwards (expect Travis). 

So when the announcement of "Somewhere Somehow" was being announced I was really looking forward to some more music from the band. My first impressions on the album was certainly that it was...different. They have definitely matured with their sound, but I can't help but feel its lost its 'punk' side to the other albums and the sound that I was so familiar with. 


Giving the album some time, I have grown to love the album personally. Yes it does sound a lot different to the older albums, but they have always had that 'pop' persona about their sound. Songs like "Feel Alive" and "See You In My Dreams" have great chorus' that you can still head bang to, but not with so much grunge or punk. That doesn't mean they've lost their rock taste or that their live performances have numbed down...oh no!

At points I do personally feel like its moved too far away from the punk sides in songs such as 'Live Young Die Forever'. Purely for the fact that its electronic drums being used and as a drummer myself, I personally think acoustic has such a more powerful effect on songs. This is just personal preference though. 

I think some bands need that change to really make it in the business. This album has given the biggest step forward so far for the 5 piece and its easy to see why. The band have produced a fantastic record full of catchy rhythms, powerful chorus' and an all round lovable record to listen to. 

If I could describe the album in one it would be 'Fun'. The reason for this is just because each song doesn't make me really focus on anything too seriously. Each song has a 'fun' tone and has this vibe throughout to reflects on the bands live performance too. 

I have to give some major credit to the vocalist Travis for his wicked voice and great songwriting. If you look up the lyrics for each of the songs on any album, they have been really thought about and fit with each song We The Kings have released. That isn't easy to do either, but he makes it look easy!

The songs you should go check out are "Find You There", "Feel Alive", "Just Keep Breathing" and "Art Of War". All the others are great, but these are the ones to check out if you don't have time. 

Somewhere Somehow is out now in all good record stores and let me know what you thought of the songs/album if you've heard it! 

Thanks for reading and until next time

Lewis 

Website: wethekingsmusic.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/wethekings

Twitter: www.twitter.com/wethekings

EP Review ~ Scribble Victory ~ Confidence

Hello!

Welcome to blog post 35 and happy 1st October too! Today I have a two piece from Derby called Scribble Victory. These guys have been going through the ranks of the business with numerous tours with some big artists and with the EP coming out next Friday, I'm expecting these boys to go to great heights. 

Recently the business has been overtaken with two piece bands such as Royal Blood and Honeyblood taking over BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music. It still baffles me how such an incredible sound can come from a duo and its the same with this band. 

Scribble Victory are:

Jamie Thompson - Vocals, Guitar
Tomas Ward - Vocals, Drums

Scribble Victory are an acoustic folk-rock duo that blend their harmonies with melodic rhythms and meandering guitar licks. For two people to create such an authentic sound is very impressive. In some stages of the EP it sounds quite minimalistic, but still keeps that aura about the band that they give throughout the EP. 

One of the stand out tracks to me is "Stalemate", its just such a catchy tune from just a few instruments. The acoustic guitar brings a lot to the table with the rhythm that you could hum along to easily. This track is a great example of the harmonising between Jamie and Tomas. Both blend together to make a really nice tone. 

The song writing for each song has been well thought out. I give credit to both members of the band for creating rhythms and tones that keep each song flowing. Give this EP a few listens and you'll start to really listen to the acoustic guitar especially. I think after about 4 runs through the EP I really got to know the songs so I could appreciate and take in the great guitar skills. 

Scribble Victory have been touring with a lot of names to shout about such as Johnny Foreigner, Tall Ships and Laura Stevenson. If they are securing fantastic opportunities such as this before this EP has been released then I am looking forward to following the band in their new adventures. 

The songs I would recommend to you if you haven't got time to listen to all 6 tracks are "You Wouldn't Change A Thing" and "Stalemate". The others are just as good, but these are the clear stand out tracks on this EP. 

In conclusion I really like this EP, I haven't heard a duo sound quite like this before. Its something I can't quite explain apart from saying the acoustic tones and strong drums keep the energy throughout with the distinctive vocals keeping the drive. I hope you all take the time to listen to the EP when it comes out on October 10th because these guys deserve a lot of support!

To get a flavour of the band, I'll leave the bandcamp link which has their last self-titled EP on there. This too is a fantastic edition to their overall music collection. Also a quick special thanks to Angela from Muddy Paw PR who introduced me to the band and asked me to review them. 

Thank you for reading and until next time.

Lewis

This is a song from their last self-titled EP called "Baby Steps"

Website -  www.scribblevictory.com

Bandcamp - http://scribblevictory.bandcamp.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/ScribbleVictory

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/scribblevictory (Warning! Profile picture may contain Chuckle Brothers)

Soundcloud - soundcloud.com/scribblevictory

Album Review ~ Camera Soul "Not For Ordinary People"

Hello!

Welcome to blog post 32 and I would like to say thank you for all the support with getting near to 3000 views, its insane! Today I'll be celebrating with a fantastic jazz/funk band called Camera Soul and their latest album "Not For Ordinary People". Camera Soul are based from southern Italy (Bali), led by veteran composer brothers Piero and Pippo Lombardo and fronted with the vocals by the wonderful Serena Brancale. 

Piero (one of the composers) messaged me and asked if I could review their latest album and of course I said yes, but I what was in store was about to blow my mind. My ears were in for a rare treat of just pure soul, jazz-fusion and funk from this band that are starting to become more popular across the world. 

Camera Soul are inspired by legendary horn line, soul, R&B and jazz-fusion artists such as Earth, Wind and Fire, The Commodores, Tower of Power and Stevie Wonder. Put all of those together and you have this band. They certainly have a 'Jamiroquai' tone to them, but so much more purity to the sound. 

One song I would recommend to you to sum this band up would be the second track "Mama". It just keeps my head bopping throughout the whole track and enterains throughout with drops and bridges and always has treats in store. The album is very well produced, since this is a large band its difficult to not get anyone lost within the music. They have balanced everything perfectly to make it such a crisp sound which is an absolute delight to the ears. 

Piero and Pippo certainly know what sounds to create from each instrument at which point. You can sit back and really focus on the arrangement of the band and listen to each instrument.  A personal favourite of mine is the jazz guitar and bass lines, it just holds it together and brings a lot of funk to the band. Its left so subtly in the background to just groove around the riff. A good example would be the verses in the song "I Don't Like Roses". Another head bopper might I add!

During the album you can start to hear some Italian characteristics come into the music. Whether its a certain riff from an instrument or genuinely just the feel, it gives the band that difference about them which every band looks for. The band have a great mellow tone during the verses and can really kick up a gear in the chorus. Enough to keep the song exciting to the listener, but not enough to try be too brash which is a nice change. 

Their tight playing and soulful music is making a real dent in the music business and are certainly making a noise about it. In October 2013 this album was 2nd in the UK Soul Charts and spent a gigantic 15 weeks in those charts too which is a fantastic achievement by the band that is well worthy of its place.

The album has got the band a range of awards such as 'Best Instrumental Jazz Solo',' Best Engineered album', 'Producer of the Year',  'Song of the Year' & 'Best R&B Song'. Not a bad collection of awards, but boy do they deserve it. I would agree with all of these especially ' Best Engineered Album' for just the clear sound from every instrument on this album and how balanced everything is. 

The songs that I recommend are 'Not For Ordinary People, 'Mama', 'The Happiest Day' and 'I Don't Like Roses'. The rest of the album is brilliant, but these are the ones to check out for a little taste tester first. 

I hope you all enjoy the music and thank you for reading. 

Until next time

Lewis

Website: http://www.camerasoul.eu/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Camera__Soul

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camerasoul?fref=ts

Top 5 - Well Known Headphone Brands

Hello! 

Welcome to blog post 31! Today I wanted to talk to you all about headphones. We all use them or have done in the past and if anyone is struggling to find a pair for the right price and quality. Then here is my top 5 list of well known brands of headphones that might help you out! I had this post ready for May, but having lots of other people come to me and ask if I could review their music. Now I have room to share this with you, enjoy!

Before I get into this top 5 I wanted to just clear a few things up too. I wanted to do well known brands too that you can find in your local HMV/Currys/Dixons etc instead of choosing brands that are outlet only. This is my personal top 5 choice and I'm only looking at over the ear headphones too. If you think I am wrong or have left out a significant brand then let me know in the comments! What's your top 5!?

Okay... lets get started!

5. Beats by Dr.Dre

Well, this brand had to be in the top 5 plainly for its popularity and probably nothing else. These headphones are everywhere and aren't actually that good for sound as they seem. Beats by Dr.Dre have been around now since 2006 and have evolved into quite a few different ranges.

I really don't understand the amount of hype for these. I think a lot of people now go for look rather than sound which is a shame, but I guess people are willing to pay for looks. These headphones have a price range of £150 - £390 which to me personally are extortionate prices. To get their lowest range of product is already more expensive then some of the better quality headphones at mid range produce...

So... in conclusion, you're paying a ton of money for something that looks great, but had incredibly shoddy sound. Thank god there is at least there's free shipping...enjoy!

(all ratings out of 5)

Cost - 2
Design - 5
Sound Quality - 3


4. Philips

The reason I chose Philips in this top 5 is because they actually offer a wide range for many customers. This is something that makes me wonder with such a diverse range of headphones for specific users...is there much difference? 

Well for starters they have entered the realm of bluetooth which is a nice feature to have and shows the company is developing its headphone brands. They also have specific headphones for sports, bass lovers etc and all at a fairly low price. The price range starts from £15 - £120 and for those who don't have a lot of money, this is a great brand to use. If you wanted to go wireless or bluetooth, again its not that expensive coming in at around £60. Not only is it fairly cheap, but the sound isn't bad for what you're paying for either. 

In conclusion...a reasonably priced brand churning out a variety of headphones with some decent sound. Not bad!

Cost - 5
Design - 3
Sound Quality - 3



3. Sennheiser

Next we have the German headphone brand Sennheiser. This brand was a close second, but there are some reasons as to why this came in at number 3 and not 2. Sennheiser offer a quite large range of products and try go that extra mile to appeal to the customer. The first thing I wanted to touch on was the price range because you can't get a bigger price range than this...ready?

Price range: £24.99 - £999.99!?  

Yes that's right, you can get some 'cheapy' headphones, or if you're hella rich, why not grab some German hand assembled HD 800's! This is the descrition for the 800's is "These headphones are top-of-the line audio technology at its finest. Hand assembled in Germany with top quality materials and using the largest transducers ever, these provide an unmatched natural listening experience." At that bloody price I hope so too!!

This is what I meant by them going the distance. They have a nice range with decent sound at around the £160 mark, but I still feel you're not getting enough for what you pay for. Every time I go to put on Sennheiser headphones, something's not right, the sound is a little muffled or the positioning on my ears isn't that comfortable. I'm trying the mid range headphones out too, not the cheap ones too! The fact that you have to spend more for design too is a little bit cheeky because the £24 ones don't look that great, but then again, its what you pay for.

In conclusion, Sennheiser have got the ingredients to be a great headphone brand. they are already pretty popular and have a great sound, but there is something not quite right that I hope they can fix soon.

Cost - 4
Design - 3.5 (4.5 for more expensive brands)
Sound Quality - 3.5


2. Sony

Sony own a wide range of different products including headphones and range from wireless to bluetooth. The money they earn from their other products such as TV's and sound systems gives them the tools to make some great pairs of headphones. They offer a nice range of headphones that look great and have a nice quality even at £25 a pair. 

Its great to see Sony investing in making their cheaper products looking as nice as the £100 + pairs. Obviously quality is different, but to the untrained eye, you can't tell the difference. Although you can grab some snazzy wireless headphones with a wireless transmission for £99 which is a fantastic deal. The price range is from £25 - £449.00 and on their website each set has got great reviews. 

So with Sony is a grand choice you have at either a hefty price coming with the quality, wireless or bluetooth. To the cheaper products which look great on your head and have a reasonable sound quality, but at £25 you can't go wrong!

Cost- 4
Design - 3.5
Sound Quality - 3.5

1. Bose

Now, anyone who knows me personally knows that I am a massive Bose nerd. I love their products and their headphone quality is insane for the price you get them at. Whilst Im writing this, I am using my Bose AE2 headphones that cost £120. Now...that does seem like a lot but hear me out. 

I bought them because I heard so much about their sound quality and how comfy they are. When I'm writing my blog I sometimes forget they're on my head, they're so damn comfy. These are the lower ranged headphones too, so the price doesn't really help, but you definitely get what you pay for! Although they don't look the best which puts quite a few people off, they make it up in sound... by a mile.

The sound quality is insane, you can hear everything with the slight noise cancellation in them which gives your ears a real treat in hearing everything in the track. I heard one of my favourite tracks the other day by Frank Turner and noticed a little shaker in the background and someone talking that wouldn't of been picked up with cheaper headphones. They can give you the raw power from the music too, so if its a rock song, it'll deliver the power to your ears!

Now these headphones are the lower part of the range, but the range doesn't go to extortionate heights like Sennheiser. I tried out the latest noise cancelling headphones the 'QuietComfort 3'. To which you put them on and you can hear around you, until you flick a little button (baring in mind I was in a bustling airport) and I couldn't hear anything outside and I had no music on. I was blown away by how they can do that and the sound quality was to die for, although at £300 you'd expect to get the best price!

In conclusion if you want fairly expensive headphones that you can rely on and get what you pay for. Then I would recommend Bose because they do at 2 year warranty on their headphones and then for mine when I took it back (4 days before the warranty was up) they gave me an extra year on the replaced ones. 

Cost - 3.5 
Design - 4.5
Sound Quality - 5*

Bose AE2 Headphones

So...yes this was slightly biased because I love Bose products, but the products from 5 - 2 were my personal choices because I tried all these headphones brands out when I was hoping to get some slightly pricey headphones and Bose was the clear winner by a mile. Though it is all down to personal preference, if you're a sound quality freak like me, you'll go for Bose. If you like headphones that just look nice, you might go for Dr.Dre. 

Let me know what your Top 5 headphone brands are in the comments below or tweet me them! I look forward to seeing your choices! 

Thanks for reading and until next time

Lewis 

*BONUS* Discussion ~ Rock Vs Pop

Hello, 

Welcome to blog post 30. Today I want to expand on my review I published on Wednesday about the new Twin Atlantic album and how they have moved from a real rock band to purposefully writing 'pop' songs for more publicity.

Personally, I feel this is becoming more of a trend than just a one off thing for bands to do. Now, this is just my opinion, I am entitled to it and if you think I am wrong then that's okay, but I just hope you understand my points I will be making in this post. 

So... when I was around 16/17 I was going through a phase of listening to a lot of rock/punk and sometimes metal. The bands that I would listen to constantly would be Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Good Charlotte, 30 Seconds To Mars and Alter Bridge. This to me was how people should rock on their albums. Keeping up high tempo most of the time with a lots of guitar rhythms and catchy lines. 

So after listening to albums such as "Riot" and "Brand New Eyes" from Paramore. When it came around to their new album I was pretty excited to hear what they had to offer considering they were now down to 3 members and the singles "Monster" and "Renegade" before the album 'Paramore' got me pumped. 

When the first single from the album came along called "Now", I was disappointed in the sound. I couldn't hear that driving guitar that was so precious in the albums before. I was hoping the second single would provide more promise. Again, I was let down, another 'pop' sound. There were no rock elements to the album at all and I was so disappointed. Especially when Hayley Williams was saying "this is the album we've always wanted to make". 

This example of Paramore isn't the first time that I have been disappointed with new albums from bands that I absolutely adored in my teens. This is starting to become a regular appearance. Its ruining my excitement for new albums if bands just keep producing pop for the larger audiences. I can understand why they want to do it, but people like myself are just getting fed up with every poxy band churning some pop crap out. 

This happened with the new Twin Atlantic album and personally I didn't think it was possible for them because their album 'Free' was insane and I thought building on the foundations of that album, you couldn't go wrong! Oh how wrong I was...

I don't know if I'm the only one that is noticing so many bands lately with a rock 'nature' about them are just producing songs for the charts, for Radio 1 and nothing for the audiences like myself. Its all about getting coverage these days, getting known, but in completely the wrong way. The only way to do this at the moment is create a happy - go - lucky song with some major chords, some kind of trumpet or saxophone playing a catchy riff and the band shouting "YEAAHH, YEAAAHH" or "WOOAAHH", "WOAAAH"...so creative... 

The day that a rock band makes a solid rock album after their successful first one will be the day I can jump in the air and be happy. Right now though, rock is dying out and pop is taking over badly. I have hope and promise still for a few bands such as The Cape Race (check their review out on my blog) and Mallory Knox who are rocking the Radio 1 playlists right now. 

The Cape Race - 'Home,Truths'

I hope everyone now understands my views and points where I am coming from about this issue. Its been playing on my mind for a while now and I thought this was the perfect time to say something especially with the new Twin Atlantic album being a real shocker. 

Thanks for reading and until next time

Lewis

Album Review ~ Twin Atlantic, 'Great Divide'

*Disclaimer* - So this review, isn't going to be the my usual "yeah this albums great" review. I have got negative outlooks on this review, so if you DO like the new Twin Atlantic album then I would advise you to not read if you don't want to hear anything negative. Its not all negative, but I hope you'll understand my points about the album.

Hello!

Welcome to blog post 29! Today I shall be talking about the new album from Twin Atlantic. Their second album was an absolute masterpiece. A great step forward into the business and I was highly anticipating this album to be just as rocky and fulfilling as the last.

Twin Atlantic are a Scottish rock band from Glasgow, who in their last album 'Free', got a lot of success and radio play from Radio 1 and other stations alike. One of the songs was even featured on the video for the highest sky fall that was watched by over 36 million people! Not bad for your second album and now their new album has come around called 'Great Divide'. 

Although the two singles were not winning me over to buy the album, I thought I needed to check out the full album in case I was wrong about their new sound for this album. When I first heard their first single 'Heart and Soul', my immediate reaction was "oh no...another rock band going pop, please no!". Their second single wasn't much help either with quite a simple structure and happy chords although the song itself wasn't too bad. 

So...let me sum up the first three songs to you in three words. Waste. Of. Time. The first three songs nearly put me off listening to the rest of the album. The use of electronic pads and keys is just plain wrong for this band. Wrong. They use the same producer as the other record too, what was the guy thinking!? This to me just seems like a stunt for popularity which nearly cost them the album to me. Just skip to the song 'Fall Into The Party'...

If you listen to the second album 'Free', you'll notice its hard-driving, heavy and fantastic for the boys to perform. You just know from top to bottom on the album 'Free' that these guys pack a punch. Though this 'punch' seems to have been left behind from this album.

There are some flickers of promise at the start of songs, but they don't follow through for the whole song. For example in 'The Ghost of Eddie' you hear the structure twice and think that's everything they have to give, but then the section where he whispers "everybody scream" into quite possibly the heaviest part of the album is a real treat to the ears of the shear noise. This doesn't happen in the new album.

Don't get me wrong some of the songs on this album are good, but its nothing compared to the previous album. That was their second album...one to work from...one to keep moving forward from. Instead it seems like they have moved backwards, there isn't as much creativity or passion in this album. To me the aim was to get as much coverage on Radio 1 as possible and leave old fans to leave them alone.

When I'm listening to the album, I feel like Sam McTrusty's lyrics are trying to get us to learn life lessons. He talks about how "the youth of today have lost their voices" and that to him"music is my therapy"!? He even has the cheek (in a sense) in the song "It's Not Dead" that according to him, 'rock and roll is apart of me'. Go back and listen to "Hold On" and see how 'Rock and Roll' that track is...

Apart from everything else I have mentioned above, I just hope Twin Atlantic can learn from their mistakes from this flop of an album and crank the gears up for album number four to impress all us rockers again.

The tracks I recommend (and could be the only ones) are "Cell Mate", "Fall Into The Party" and "Actions That Echo". Keep to these three and you have a pretty decent EP, how about that!? 

I promise the next review will be back to my jolly self! I might do a little discussion post again on Sunday about how a lot of rock bands are turning to mainstream and leaving their whole 'rock persona' behind just for more coverage.

Until next time and thanks for reading

Lewis

Website: http://www.twinatlantic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twinatlantic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/twinatlantic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/twinatlantic

Album Review - 'Home, Truths', The Cape Race

Hello, 

Welcome to blog post 23! Today I have a fantastic British rock band from Manchester called 'The Cape Race' and I'll be reviewing their upcoming full length debut album 'Home, Truths'. The album will be released on the 11th August and I cannot wait to see what you all think of this band, lets go!

The Cape Race are a five piece band made up of David Moloney (vocals), Matt Sayward (guitar), Adam Lewis (bass, vocals), Scott Perkins (guitar) and Jonny Davys (drums). This band know the definition of 'rock'. Its so refreshing to hear such a loud and vibrant sound coming from this band. In recent years, many 'rock' bands have trailed into the path of 'pop' and have disappointed me when they call themselves a 'rock' band. 

Not this band, oh no, this band know what rock is and do it with a fantastic of mix that keeps the album strong throughout. The band must have spent a long time getting the mix of the album right because I love an album that lets your ears listen to every member of the band, especially the bass. In a lot of albums, the bass is drowned out, but is just as important as the other instruments. The bass lines are heard so clearly on this album, it adds such a great difference in tone to the album especially in songs like 'Collapsing' and in the verses of 'Home Truths'.

If you love head-banging to some real rock riffs and heavy drums then get ready for this album. A lot of it is the heavier side to rock, but the music industry needs a band like this as I've been searching for too long for a proper rock band like this! David's voice is perfect for the band too with a near on screaming voice, but not tipping to that point. He has a fantastic range of vocals too that can reach those falsetto (high) notes extremely well, not to mention a fantastically strong vocal prowess too throughout the record.

The bands sections and breaks in the record definitely know how to keep the songs going, examples of this are the tracks 'Now, Voyager' and 'Digging For Gold'. The build ups for those songs and the sheer sound of noise that come from them at the end from what they built up from at the start is mesmerising to listen to. In 'Digging For Gold', even from the start to the first minute, you know something special is going to happen.

The thing about this album that gets me hyped up about it when I'm listening to each track is that the sound is the same, but each song is different. They haven't tried to be too adventurous, they know their sound and I respect them for sticking to it. Each song has been looked at with incredible depth and talent to make completely different to the song before on the album. Whether this be the breaks they use in the songs, the use of David's falsetto range or a plane and simple switch from regular time to half time. This album keeps on giving and the fact its a deluxe is more of a reason to go get it. 

Its very hard for me to listen to a band at full volume, but this band really deserve to be cranked up to full because the experience is just...well...awesome! The best part is usually when you turn it up loud, a lot of the music is drowned out, but not this album, if anything it adds to the experience! 

So when you all go get the album, you can all tell me what you think it sounds like at full volume! It actually gets me excited the fact that this album will hopefully drive the band to where they need to be in the business. I wish these boys all the best of luck and I'll be following their journey very closely and get the opportunity to go see them live very soon!

The songs that I recommend to you when you buy the album are "Digging For Gold", "Little Whites [Bonus Track]", "Home Truths", "Collapsing", "You Should Have Known" and "Now, Voyager". Although personally I'm loving every track on this album which is rare for me.

I feel very privileged to be given the opportunity to review this bands album before its release, especially when I am loving their sound and the music they are creating. I will leave links below for one of the bands singles which will be on the album and links to their website and all that goodness!

Thank you very much for reading and until next time. 

Lewis

Website: http://thecaperace.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecaperace

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecaperace

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/thecaperace

EP Review - 'Never Have Enough', Carnival Youth

Hello! 

Welcome to blog post 20! 20!? How time flies! Today I have a special treat for you in the name of a young Latvian band called 'Carnival Youth'. These guys contacted me and asked if I would review their EP for them. I was privileged when I heard the sound these teens were creating. This EP is out July 21st and I cannot wait to buy it, here's why...

The band 'Carnival Youth' formed only 2 years ago and have a very Bombay Bicycle feel to them with some indie pop and folk thrown into the mix (sounds tasty right!?). Its a nice mix to say the least and one that is refreshing to my ears. The band have managed to create music which is extremely clever for teenagers to produce and create.

The EP sounds like the band have been together for 10 years and this is their 4th studio album, but instead this is their first EP!? Its got a really good vibe to the whole sound of the EP that can crank up at an instant by bringing the whole band in, to then being very atmospheric. The song "Seasons" does this very well, its one of the more louder songs and really fits nicely in the EP coming 3rd out of 5 songs. You know it's got that energy and aura about because it when you turn it off for 5 minutes and turn it back on there is a distinct feel of excitement and that 'wall of sound'.

Once the EP starts playing I can't help but nod my head to the beat of the music. They have made some great melodies throughout the EP. The vocals aren't too strenuous to listen to either, its easy going and I like that monotone voice for the band. It suits the vibe well, if he decided to try stretch his voice throughout the songs, it wouldn't work. 

The strongest song on the EP is the last song called "Never Have Enough" and also the title of the EP. The song starts off with just tambourine and guitar to then introduce the piano with the main melody. This clever little tune has a great change for the chorus which lifts the whole vibe of the song to change to a shuffle and a key change, it definitely needed it to keep the song growing strong. By the third listen I was already humming along to the whole song.

I always enjoy a whole album to keep on a constant rollercoaster. This band do this throughout, where your ears don't know what is coming next during the tracks. 

Is it going to breakdown? Is it going to start building up? Just when your mind starts to think these through, they're throwing you off to something completely different. 

The one thing that intrigued me the most when I stumbled across a live video of them playing was the fact the drummer was also the lead singer!? I was astonished because being a drummer, I know how difficult it is to sing and play at the same time. Especially the level he is playing at for a teenager too, incredible talent! 

My personal favourite is 'Brown Eyes', its got a nice guitar melody to it to then come in with a well written drum part. The chorus is very punchy, more hard hitting than the verse which keep my head bopping (you'll have to see for yourself)!

This band are doing very well with getting the attention of the business as they have done festivals such as The Great Escape in Brighton.  They are also already booked to perform at some of Eastern Europe's biggest music festivals this summer including Sziget, and Positivus; Carnival Youth perform the following UK dates:

July 20 - Guilfest Festival
21 Lock Tavern, London (EP launch)
22 Purple Turtle, Reading
23 The Garage, London (w/ The Escapists + The Half Earth)


Look out for this bands name in the next few years as I feel they are going to blow up quickly and I have been privileged to review this EP of theirs. I look forward to going to one of their gigs very soon and don't forget to check out their EP which comes out on the 21st July 2014!

Thank you very much for reading and until next time

Lewis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarnivalYouth

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarnivalYouth

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/carnivalyouth

Album Review - 'Freedom Bound', Red Butler

Hello,

First off, I'd like to say thank you for the hugely positive response from my last post about Deafh, its been great to see so may people support the blog.

Today I will be talking about a young blues band that go by the name of Red Butler. An East Sussex based band that are made up of Jane Pearce (vocals), Alex Butler (guitar), Steve Eveleigh (bass) and Charlie Simpson (drums). This band have been one to look out for in the blues scene in the past year and now they have finally released their album.

The band have been vigorously touring Sussex and afar for gigs and festivals such as The Great British R&B Festival in Colne, which to me, for a band that have been together two years is a massive achievement to get into the blues scene so effectively and quickly. This is one of the reasons the album has been largely anticipated by many fans of the band.

The album 'Freedom Bound' is definitely a great blues/rock album which has been produced very well. Everything in the album seems to be in its right place. They have left one of their strongest songs 'Freedom Bound' till last on the album which is a great move as most albums tend to whither a little bit towards the end of an record. Not this one though, its ends with a very emotional and powerful song, not to say the least about the guitar solo! Oooo...that killer guitar solo!

If you enjoy guitar solos, then this is record is loaded with them! Alex Butler is the man with the riffs. He created them himself and is an exceptionally talented guitarist. The range of the musicality in the album keeps the momentum going with up-tempo songs such as "Danger Zone" and "Young and Free". Then can take it right down with the very emotional "River of Smoke" which is one of my personal favourites just for the raw emotion of the song, also Jane's singing in this song is off the scale. 

The song "Hoodoo" demonstrates Alex's guitar skills with some impressive slide work. Its very difficult to create some of the notes he plays in this track, including towards the end, but it creates a great delta blues vibe for the album. I also enjoy listening to how solid the bass and drums are together, locked in tight, keeping that train rolling.

Each song on the album has been extensively worked on for the past year or so and it really shows that they have put a lot of time and energy into this album and the songs they have created. When I hear the songs and think that they are mostly all original, I think that this band are very creative and have a great career ahead of them! So keep an eye out for them at one of their gigs or through their social pages (links below). 

The songs to check out on this album if you haven't got time to listen to the whole song are "Danger Zone", "River of Smoke", "Freedom Bound" and "Young and Free". I'm looking forward to seeing what the band has to offer in the next few years, they deserve it for the effort they put in too! Keep an eye out for these guys! 

Thanks for reading and until next time!

Lewis 

Website: http://www.redbutlermusic.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redbutlermusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/redbutlermusic

Instagram: http://instagram.com/REDBUTLERMUSIC

Single Review - "Bolo", Deafh

Hello!

Before I jump into this quite special review, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has viewed my blog since its started! The reason is because it now has over 1,000 views! That number still blows my mind, thank you again!

Now onto the review...this single was actually sent to me by the artist/company themselves, the first one! I was really chuffed when I saw the email, but I still needed to listen to the song. 

Needless to say I was really enjoying what I was listening to. Deafh is an R&B artist who is no stranger or amateur to the business for that matter. He has worked with the likes of S1 (Eminem, Kanye West and Adam Levine) and multi-platinum selling producer DJ Speedy (Jay-Z, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj) to name but a few! 

Usually this type of genre isn't my style or something I go out of my way to listen to, but this song caught my attention. The sound being produced was something original to what I have normally heard from this genre. Deafh has a harmonic flow in his rapping which is refreshing to hear. It reminds me of the old school R&B from the late 90's to early naughties with a 2014 twist on it. 

Its a really well produced song, elements constantly being added to keep it fresh and non-repetitive and Deafh has a great voice. Some of the overlapping on the lyrics can seem a bit too busy at times, but I see that this as a way to keep the song entertaining. 

Although be warned for the sudden ending to the track, it was one of those moment where you think "Oh!? Is it over!?". It was a bit of a strange ending to such a enlightening song to the R&B business, but this shouldn't put you off.  

All in all, for a track that was sent to me, its a pretty decent tune. Like I said earlier, usually this type of music isn't my taste, but this song has a refreshing outlook to R&B. I'm looking forward to following Deafh to see what he comes up with next. 

If you have a song you want me to review, then click the 'contact me' link at the top of the page and email me! I'll give it a listen and let you know! Once again thank you for getting me over 1,000 views for this blog, incredible!

Until next time and thanks for reading!

Lewis

Soundcloud link: https://soundcloud.com/deafh/bolo

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_Deafh

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