Album Review ~ Bear's Den ~ Islands

Hello!

Welcome to this weeks main review. This week I have a folk/alternative band to review that go by the name of Bear's Den who are from London, UK. The three piece released their debut album 'Islands' on 20th October and I'm here to tell you what the album is like. 

Their band name  "Bear's Den" has been a band I'd keep constantly hearing about. Whether it be BBC Radio 6, Radio 2 or just from other people recommending them. So I finally got round to jumping on Spotify and checking them out and was incredibly surprised at the quality of this three piece and nothing like what I was expecting. 

Bear's Den bring to the table an album of chilled out folk music accompanied with guitars and a banjo. Andrew Davie (vocals) brings out his calmly toned vocals to make the music sound delight to hear. This is not a band trying to make noise and get heard, they're making music by saying "You...come over here, sit with us and listen". I can't help when I listen to the record that I'm sitting round a camp fire and really taking in everything they're playing and saying about. Just me?

The album starts off with a cracking opener that is "Agape". Bringing together each main instrument, packing a punch from the drums followed by the distinctive vocals and some mellow backing vocals from Kev Jones and Joey Haynes. The backing vocals are very impressive and give the overall sound of the album promise for the other 9 songs much to look forward to. 

In the track "The Love We Stole", you can really get a feel for the Bear's Den sound. A sound that is very different to anything that is out there at the moment. When its hard for me to describe the genre and style of music, you know its good.

One of the more popular tracks on the album that is ""Above The Clouds Of Pompeii" starts off with a guitar rhythm that free-flowing and catchy. Everything just seems to fit for this song to be the best on the album. The bass drum at the end of the song can be quite heavy on the ears compared to the rest of the song, but this is only a minor set back.

The lyrics make the songs very home-grown, if I was to describe everything on the record in one word it would be home-grown. They all enjoy making the same music, nothing is over-done, nothing is pushed. Its all come from some inspirational songwriting and experience on the road. Quite a lot of the album involves adding things little by little. Possibly starting off with just a guitar and vocals, then adding bass, then a small drum beat. Its also adding in piano's and trumpets at the end to really give it a fulfilling end. 

"Think Of England" does the whole adding in instruments gradually very well. Its only until the end of the song you realise how much has been added since the beginning of the song when it ends with guitar and vocals. At the beginning of the song you know something is brewing with the beating bass drum accompanied with clapper and shaker. 


Songs like "Magdalene" on the record are as if they're just made for Bear's Den. A chilled out worry-free song was if it was meant to be written for them. Its so difficult to make something sound so relaxed and easy, this song does it very well. The vocals are the reason this song is so laid back, if it was a singer who signs very powerfully then it wouldn't work. 

In the song "When You Break", I think its a little unnecessary for them to say the line "I want to f*** away all my fear". I think the style that they're playing in has no need or use for swear words. Its meant to be free-flowing and heart warming, but throw in some swear words and it changes the mood of the album to angry and raging. 

Finishing off the album are some beautiful songs that include some of the most hauntingly graceful guitar tones as well as feeling like the album is coming to an end. The use of horns in "Elysium" bring everything together in the track to become one of the loudest, but is one of the best on the record. The last track "Bad Blood" also has this feeling of togetherness to bring an end to the album.

In conclusion, Bear's Den have really outdone themselves to produce an album of folk that I feel everyone should give a try. You'll more than likely find that you'll enjoy at least three of the songs on this album. There isn't a song on the album that is 'below par' from the others, each one has been carved into the 'Bear's Den' wooden hut to be shared with the world. I look forward to seeing what is in store for the band when they go on their first headline tour in 2015. 

Here are the dates: 

Fri 6 Feb	Birmingham	Temple	UK
Sun 8 Feb	Dublin	Workman’s Club	IE
Mon 09 Feb	Belfast	Voodoo	UK
Wed 11 Feb	Glasgow	Oran Mor	UK
Thu 12 Feb	Newcastle	Cluny	UK
Fri 13 Feb	Manchester	Gorilla	UK
Sun 15 Feb	Cardiff	Clwb Ifor Bach	UK
Mon 16 Feb	Oxford	Academy 2	UK
Wed 18 Feb	Brighton	Concorde 2	UK
Fri 20 Feb	Paris	Point Ephémère	FR
Sat 21 Feb	Brussels	Witloof Bar *NEW	BE
Mon 23 Feb	Amsterdam	Melkweg Old Hall	NL
Tue 24 Feb	Hamburg	Knust	DE
Wed 25 Feb	Cologne	Buergerhaus Stollwerck	DE
Fri 27 Feb	Munich	Strom	DE
Sat 28 Feb	Zurich	Mascotte	CH
Tue 3 Mar	London	O2 Shepherds Bush Empire	UK

Thanks for reading and until next time.

Lewis

Website: www.bearsdenmusic.co.uk/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bearsdenmusic

Twitter: twitter.com/bearsdenmusic

Album Review ~ John Mayer ~ Where The Light Is: John Mayer Live In Los Angeles

Hello!

Welcome to this weeks main review. Today, I'm taking you all back to 2007 when John Mayer recorded a live album in Los Angeles. This album was made around the time of his best album "Continuum" with the likes of "Vultures", "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" and "Gravity" coming from the album to name but a few. 

The reason I'm reviewing this album is because over the past few weeks I've been really getting into the album. Its a fantastic live album, one of the best personally and I wanted to share it on my blog, so, enjoy!

With a long list of quality songs on his back, this live gig was shaped up to be one of his best. He starts the set off with 4 acoustic songs including "Stop This Train" and "Free Fallin'". A mellow way to start off a gig, but with some of his biggest songs. These are definitely the most intimate songs on the album. There's no percussion or anything to support the rhythm, it genuinely is just Mayer and his guitar. 

A personal favourite on the acoustic section is "In Your Atmosphere". Its a free-flowing riff that Mayer plays expertly that sounds like a part written for two guitars. Mayer is known for his top songwriting and this song bares no exception to this, as well as his vocals. They're displayed in this song the best with some difficult high notes to reach, but sings with ease. 

So, with four songs down, time to crank it up and introduce Pino Palladino (bass) and Steve Jordan (drums) to make up the 'John Mayer Trio'. Introducing the trio is a song called "Everyday I Have The Blues" which is a cover of BB King's famous song that comes in with a bang. A blues shuffle with some electric guitar solo's cranks the gears up from the acoustic set earlier. 

Pino Palladino has worked with some of the best in the industry. He's worked with the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, Jools Holland, Eric Clapton, The Who and Adele. To be accompanied by the effortlessly talented Steve Jordan on drums that makes the line-up seem like some sort of royalty. Steve Jordan has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, BB King, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards and Buddy Guy. Need I say more about the line-up!?

When you get into the groove of "Wait Until Tomorrow" and "Who Did You Think I Was" you can get a real feel of what's in store for the rest of the record. Tight drums, groovy, fast paced guitar chords and solo's accompanied with slick bass. Both these songs are a great introduction to the trio and with the album not even halfway through, its certainly build up the excitement for what's in store. 

Steve Jordan, John Mayer and Peter Palladino

Getting to the song "Out Of Mind" is a real treat for the ears if you're into your guitar solo's. This is the song to really dig deep into Mayer's guitar skills, its clean guitar, but the sounds he can get out of it are astonishing. This song is practically one big solo with some vocals here and there with solid grooving drums and bass. This is the first song you can really hear how locked in and professional Jordan and Palladino are. 

The only song that can get slightly tedious on the record is the song "Bold As Love". Mayer does a corny speech in the middle about how "he made it happen for himself" and about love. To me it wasn't necessary, but ends of with a nice little drum solo and instrumental so I'll let that part slide. 

One of my favourites on this album is "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room", just purely because it's such a beautiful song. Performed really well live on this album too, the backing vocals are to the point which you can't really pick up that well on any other song apart from "Gravity" a bit later on.

Other songs on the album that are a stand-out are "Why Georgia", "I Don't Need No Doctor" (that is just the grooviest 'headbopping' song) and "Gravity". Though the album ends on more the mellow side, it ends on a great song called "I'm Gonna Find Another You". 

All in all I hope this review has made you think about giving this album a listen. If you enjoy listening to blues, groovy tunes and John Mayer then this is the album for you. Its out of CD, 4xLP Vinyl and Digital Download. It was also recorded for a DVD too, so you can see the concert for yourself and how it was performed!

Thank you very much for reading (if you made it all this far down especially) and until next time. 

Lewis

"Gravity"

Website: http://johnmayer.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnMayer

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