White Lies, Ritual Review

It must have been a challenge for White Lies to top their successful, critically acclaimed debut, but with ‘Ritual’ they may have just about done it. This is not immediately apparent on first listen, but once you perceive how much they have matured instrumentally & lyrically; it all becomes clear. The band are aiming for bigger things and the incredible ambience of ‘Bigger Than Us’ certainly sets them in the right direction with its heavy-riff lead, anthemic chorus. They’ve never had problems constructing a huge sound, but they seem to have excelled. With evidence of new wave and synth influences throughout, they’ve been more experimental this time; particularly apparent in ‘Holy Ghost’, the most sonically well produced track on the record. They’ve even gone as far as sticking a ballad-y type on the end. The lyrics are still sincere and vulnerable, but instead of compelling us into a great depression with their original dark style, they embrace themes of love and religion. ‘Ritual’ may not match the popularity of their debut, but that won’t be because it doesn’t deserve to.

(I wrote this mini review for Electric Magazine, check it out here: electricmagazine).

Kings Of Leon, Come Around Sundown Review

The Kings of the south are back with a brand new record and this one’s definitely not another Only By The Night, but is that a bad thing? The finest thing to come out of Tennessee since Jack Daniels, take a bold gamble.

The first teaser I had of Come Around Sundown was back in June when the band played four new songs for the very first time at their headline show in Hyde Park. As soon as I heard the chorus of ‘The Immortals’ drop, I was stunned. Its chirpy introductory guitar riff and anthemic corker of a chorus almost managed to put ‘Use Somebody’ to shame. As one the few songs on the album where the lyrics were actually written before hand, it beams a sense of accomplishment and finding happiness by following your dreams – “the path of greatness it’s at your fingers/go be the one that keeps on fighting” before adding “don’t forget to love ‘fore you’re gone”.

The record is formally begun by ‘The End’, which is confusing for even the brightest of people. With a strong melody and an Editors-esque guitar riff, it seems to pick up where Only By The Night left off. Spirits are uplifted immediately after with ‘Radioactive’, a recycled and restructured melody from the Aha Shake Heartbreak era. It doesn’t surprise me that this was chosen for the first single. ‘Mary’ is a mid-tempo rock n roll gem with a dirty blues bassline straight out of the 60’s. Lyrically, vocalist Caleb cries about his older brother getting married and then throws a few well placed “ha ha ha ha ha’s” in-between. Lead guitarist Matthew’s rocking solo gives it that extra special kick along with the background vocals. ‘Back Down South’ (sometimes referred to as ‘Southbound’) really risks their rock star credentials. This real laid back, gather round the fire, country bumpkin tune follows all the typical conventions. It’s cringe worthy in places but it’s a feel-good song that sees the band rejoicing their roots and influences. They’ve tried to touch on their earlier sound with a more grown up approach but unfortunately it comes across more Billie Ray Cyrus than it probably should. A side of the band we’re not very familiar with is unleashed in ‘Beach Side’, a melody that sounds more like a contemporary indie band than the biggest rock band in the world. But saying that, it’s fresh and summery, thanks to that lap steel guitar making an unexpected appearance.

The next part of the record is nothing short of a masterpiece. ‘Pyro’, ‘The Face’ and ‘The Immortals’ see Kings of Leon in their element, and that element is going to have those stadiums securely booked for years to come. ‘Pyro’ has a heart-rending vulnerability as Caleb sings “Bury all the pictures and tell the kids that I’m ok/ even if I’m forgotten you’ll remember me for a day”. ‘The Face’ is a stunning, poignant power ballad, beautifully structured with Caleb’s raw wail and brutal emotion. The chorus is so big and dreamy that it almost instantly becomes a favourite for emotional movie scenes.

‘No Money’ finally fulfils the desperate longing for a faster pace; it has echoes of ‘Camaro’ and the whole spirit of third record Because Of The Times in general. Bassist Jared brings back that distinguished dirty distorted bass that we loved so much in ‘Black Thumbnail’ and ‘Crawl’. In ‘Pony Up’ we get to hear this slick bass unaided in the introduction, something that has become part of the Kings charm. It is soon followed by Matthew’s spine-tingling riff, proving that the Followills haven’t completely lost their touch. Nathan proves his expertise as a talented drummer as he goes all out and seems to be playing four drum beats at the same time. ‘Birthday’, like ‘Radioactive’, has an uplifting feel thanks to its cheeky chorus and lyrics to match. I don’t think Caleb was far off when he mentioned he thinks ‘girls will like it’ in a 6 Music interview with Steve Lamacq. . ‘Mi-Amigo’ grows on me the more I listen to it (but for some reason that guitar hook and bass line have me convinced it’s going to launch into Elton John’s Benny & The Jets any second). Caleb’s unique vocals are laid bare in the stripped back ‘Pickup Truck’, a rarity but delightful one at that. The band revealed that this track was inspired by Thin Lizzy’s ‘Renegade’ and that comes across quite obviously in the introduction.

It’s clear that this album has influences from all over the place, it doesn’t seem to follow suit of their previous efforts and flow in one particular direction. Similarly to Only By The Night, it is full the brim of mammoth rock melodies but they’ve also thrown in some beach feel indie and feel-good country. Talking of country, this is a dominant theme within the record as it seems to centre on tradition and hometown glory. The video for Radioactive alone gives this away but its lyrical content confirms this further: “It’s in the water, it’s in the story, it’s where you came from”. Similarly, ‘The Face’ hears Caleb bestow ‘I’ll give you Tennessee, the only place to be”.

Individually, the tracks are extremely alluring and I admire them for having the guts to experiment with genres, instruments and melodies at a time when mainstream eyes are watching their every move. It’s certainly going to split the fans from the fakers. The magnitude of Only By The Night was staggering and it seems that this has relaxed any intentions to make this new one actually impress people. Instead they have done what they want and this may have caused it to lack another popular sell out single but that’s what’s unique about it. (Let’s face it though; it will sell out regardless because of their gigantic fan base). By the end of this record, hearts have skipped, toes have tapped and eyes have watered; but there is hardly a moment that really gets your whole body rocking out. This is quite unusual for a Kings of Leon record and I can’t help but yearn for a ‘Four Kicks’, ‘Black Thumbnail’ or heaven forbid another ‘Sex On Fire’. They used to be the rulers of fast-pace rock n roll beasts but this time the only song that comes close is ‘No Money’. Now they have become masters of the anthemic, stadium-sized chorus and my god can they produce a good one. Come Around Sundown is certainly more raw and meatier than Only By The Night and that’ exactly what that record lacked. But for some reason even after all that meat, you are still left not quite fully satisfied.

See this review on Clink: http://clinkmusicmagazine.com/2010/11/23/kings-of-leon-album-review

(photo source: tntmagazine)

Kids In Glass Houses, Dirt

The first time I saw Kids In Glass Houses was back in 2007 when they played with Lostprophets and Enter Shikari at the Astoria as part of the NME awards tour. Although I was familiar with their music, it wasn’t until this gig that I began to really pay attention. One more support slot for Lostprophets, appearances at Reading Festival and two headline tours later, the rest is history. I am completely hooked. This is not surprising when you consider how likeable they are; great live sound, enthusiastic stage presence, catchy music and they’re not too shabby on the eye either...As far as debut albums go, ‘Smart Casual’ was a pretty good effort. But I always felt from the beginning that this band had the potential to be a lot better that good, and new record ‘Dirt’ has proven me right. Now it may have a dirty mind, but this album drips of class at every angle.

In a similar fashion to ‘Smart Casual’, the album is opened with the fastest and heaviest song. ‘Artbreaker I’ and ‘Artbreaker II’ work well split up and placed as the introductory and conclusive tracks; they certainly ensure the album starts and ends with a bang. The beginning of the song slightly reminds me of ‘Everyday Combat’ by Lostprophets. By no means could that ever be a bad thing, the fact that they are starting to make songs at the same level as their fellow Welsh predecessors is a compliment in itself. ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ is the first indication of the DIRTiness that is to follow. ‘Youngblood (Let It Out)’, a song about “getting it on” as vocalist Aled puts it, is probably the strongest song on the album, with its powerful chorus, loud lyrics and that distinguished guitar riff. ‘Matters At All’ and ‘Sunshine’ follow suit, proving to be a really decent rock songs. ‘Lilli Rose’ is most reminiscent of songs from their debut. It has a much poppier edge than all the others and reassures fans that fell in love with their original sound. ‘Giving Up’, a self-explanatory song covering themes of small-town attitudes where lacking ambition is prevalent, “you lie in the grief, you lie in the depression”. It’s a subject that a lot of people can relate to; it’s so spot on that it could even be written about the tiny town I am from. ‘For Better Or Hearse’ is the big party song...a real toe-tapping, sharp, swing number if you can overlook the pun.

I first heard ‘Undercover Lover’ on Radio 1 before I had heard the new album. I recognised Aled’s vocals so I knew it was them but because it’s a lot poppier than anything they’ve done before, I was secretly hoping it wasn’t. It’s a big song but I’m not convinced at just how well it works as a duet with Frankie from The Saturdays. However, there’s no doubt that this will give the song some extra attention and open up a whole new fan base. ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ also features guest vocals, this time from American punk rockers New Found Glory. This one is slightly more convincing. ‘Hunt The Haunted’ returns to familiar KIGH territory. Just like ‘Matters At All’ and ‘Youngblood’, it’s full of up-tempo, pop punk greatness. If it wasn’t for ‘The Morning Afterlife’, it would probably be my favourite. ‘Smart Casual’ didn’t feature any power ballads so I’m really glad they decided to breach into the unfamiliar and do one for this record. ‘The Morning Afterlife’ is a beautifully mastered tale about not taking moments for granted. I love how the acoustic and piano accompanied introduction gradually develops into a compelling ending, lead by Iain’s mighty guitar riff. It’s also refreshing to be able to hear a song that shows off Aled’s voice more and it soon becomes apparent that he is a much better vocalist than he perhaps gets credited for. He also pretty much sums up everything that is wrong with society in one line “When we're full we want to be empty”. In honesty, the first time I heard it I was quite stunned. It’s definitely the song that confirms every member of the band have improved as musicians. The youthful lyrical content apparent on Smart Casual has significantly matured; instead of singing about ‘Dancing All Night’ with ‘Girls’, Dirt approaches a more deep and meaningful tone, covering sombre topics such as depressing small-town attitudes and struggling with the problems that life throws at you.

Dirt may be a huge improvement on their first album, but what they have managed to keep constant is the amount of memorable songs that really stand out on their own. It’s what made their debut such a hit in the first place and it’s going to do even bigger things for this record. It’s obvious that they are in fact aiming for bigger things this time round, it looks like they’ve been taking notes from Lostprophets, Fall Out Boy, Paramore and any other big bands they’ve been on the road with. Their new sound is notably heavier with stadium sized choruses achieved by more dominant guitars, drums and vocals and as a result they have produced a record worthy of selling out big venues. This band were already on their way to becoming one of the biggest breakthrough bands in the U.K, but this record just put them well ahead of any competition.