REVIEW: Deleted Scenes - Young People's Church of the Air

Since Deleted Scenes' inception in 2005, the Maryland band have produced an EP and LP which have garnered a lot of attention among the music press and fans alike. Following the release of 2009's Birdseed Shirt, Deleted Scenes have supported the likes of Wild Nothing, Cursive, and The Antlers. Known for their excellent live shows and infectious hooks, the band have released their second LP, Young People's Church of the Air.

Straight away, you notice that this album feels a bit more refined than Birdseed Shirt. It seems like Deleted Scenes have a clearer idea of what they want to accomplish with their music than they did in 2009. Young People's Church of the Air mixes industrial production qualities with frontman Dan Scheuerman's airy vocals in a way that feels almost Animal Collective-esque.

Vocally, think of Scheuerman as a cross between The Shins' James Mercer and Brian Wilson. His voice shows the same vocal range as his contemporaries, while shrouded in a muffled mist that compliments the music greatly.  The rhythm to the album is a high-point, with percussion used to its advantage as much as possible, industrial drums pervade most of the tracks and give it a feel akin to the latter half of The Postal Service's 'This Place is a Prison'.

Young People's Church of the Air carries on the theme of love and angelic bliss, but also seems to be held down by regret throughout. Even in 'Bedbedbedbedbed' the words "I did some shit that I can't deny / but you are my merciful girl" signify the regret that the narrator has built up inside, but he wants to make amends through this album. The album's title is a hint at the content, with lots of serene imagery used throughout.

The thing that Deleted Scenes seem to be best at doing with this album is providing hooks on almost every song that make the songs so enjoyable to listen to. Although this isn't true on absolutely every song, 'Nassau' sees the pace slow down and the hooks disappear, with just vocals and an acoustic guitar to hold it up, but that change of pace is welcome and shows a more emotional tone to the music.

As an introduction to the album, 'A Litany For Mrs. T' paints a vivid picture of what to expect. With a slow build-up of drums and vocals that reach breaking point before chants of "Hallelujah", harp tones and a relentless drum beat fills the air. Second track Days of Adderall is a flurry of Battles-like rhythms and tribal drums floating around dreamy melodies, with a trademark hook. "You've got a magical illusion" sings Scheuerman in a muffled tone while harps guide the way. It sounds almost... heavenly.

Lead single, 'Bedbedbedbedbed' follows on from 'The Days of Adderall' with the same vocal style and pace, but straight away we're greeted with military-style drums giving the song a distinct rhythm. Lyrically, the song carries on a heavenly theme. It's like its being sung to an angel, "you are an immaculate girl /sent from above / you are everything that I want / my love." It may sounds overly romanticised but the way its delivered feels so light and charming that it just slides by and feels genuine.

Album highlight 'English as a Second Language' is a multi-layered delight that uses synths and vocals to create a wonderfully bouncy, up-beat song. The second half takes a more fast and directed approach before fading off to the repetition of "well you told me you weren't in love" that sounds heart-breaking in the context.

With Young People's Church of the Air, Deleted Scenes have created an excellent collection of songs that really are a joy to listen to. Addictive hooks? Check. Poignant lyrics? Check. One of my favourite albums in quite a while?... Check.

9/10

IN APPRECIATION OF 2011: Total Slacker

Sure, their music might be a little shallow; sure, they may be juvenile, and sure, they are far from original at this point in time. It doesn't stop Total Slacker's Thrashin' being one of the most down-right fun records of 2011. Total Slacker's sense of humour and attitude are what helps make this record stand out in my mind as one of my favourites of the past year.

The Brooklyn trio's grungy garage punk album came out in September to a warm reception, but it gained cult recognition from fans of bratty lo-fi 90's throwbacks, a la Yuck, the world over. With drum beats provided by Ross Condon, little brother of Beirut's Zach Condon, and a big backing from the likes of similar natured Wavves, Total Slacker certainly have a lot going for them.

Thrashin' has the '90's written all over it. From their fuzz-filled riffs, to the many, many references to all things 90's in the lyrics,  Total Slacker try their very best to hold on to those days. Their song "Stuck in '93" is obviously the prime example of their desire to revisit that decade, with a chorus of "I wish that I could be / stuck in 93 / Everyone is so cool / Makes you want to drool". Now, you might look at those lyrics and think that any other band wouldn't be able to sing them seriously, but frontman Tucker Rountree does so in an effortless way that makes it flow by without you even raising an eyebrow.

The album is full of addictive hooks and bouncy bass-lines. An obvious huge influence on the music is that of Weezer, with much of the hooks and guitar work echoing those of the pioneers of the 90's. That being said, the most obvious influence on their music is Nirvana. It's safe to say that Mr Rountree & co. are just a little bit fond of the Seattle grunge legends. Total Slacker is like a more up-beat, poppy version of Nirvana, who have been submerged in an abundance of pop culture of yore, so much that it extenuates through every track of the album.

The whole album tells the story of not caring, and being lazy, but the irony is the fact that the music is played so well that they must care a little bit, otherwise the music would sound like shit. 'No Mo 4Loko' tells the familiar story of waking up in the mid-afternoon after a heavy night drinking, in this case specifying the infamous American alco-pop Four Loko. With the uncanny riff of Smells Like Teen Spirit to carry it along, this song is the epitome of the Total Slacker mantra.

With only just over 20,000 scrobbles on Last.fm, It baffles me why more people don't listen to Total Slacker. Believe me, Thrashin'  is worth your time. Even if the attitude of the band doesn't resonate with you, the music will.

IN APPRECIATION OF 2011: Youth Lagoon

Youth Lagoon really came out of the blue for me. I had no knowledge of his existence prior to the release of his album, The Year of Hibernation, but from the first time I gave it a spin, I realised what I had been missing out on. Youth Lagoon, the moniker of 22 year-old Trevor Powers recorded the record independently in his bedroom, in a style similar to 2010's Learning by Perfume Genius, and that's reflected on the album. The title of the album is quite apt given the cold, isolated feeling of the album, but after sufficient time has been spent with the album, it opens up on another level and shows the passion and emotion that he really puts into his work.

Although the music that Youth Lagoon produces shouldn't be that revolutionary on paper, there's just something about the music that grabs you straight away. You won't be able to just listen to one track, there's something addictive about the way he makes music. When I saw Los Campesinos! in Brighton earlier this month, Cannons, a track from Youth Lagoon's debut, played before the band came on and it instantly made my friends I was with love his music. The melodies he produces are some of the most hypnotic, moving melodies I've heard all year, and it's part of what makes me find myself listening to the album almost on a daily basis.

The vocals are shrouded in a thick haze but that doesn't stop Powers from having a haunting quality to his voice, the songs usually share a familiar pattern of starting with his vocals being timid whisperings that echo through the keyboard and synths, before growing stronger and stronger and finishing with such passion; it really is an amazing experience. You can hear in his voice that he really means what he's singing.

At first, the lyrics take a back seat because of the distorted way they're delivered, but after a while, once you really listen to what he's saying, the true genius of Youth Lagoon is put on display. He takes real life experiences and embeds them perfectly into the songs. There's a distinct feeling of nostalgia that emanates throughout the record and makes it such a captivating listen. In highlight of the album, 17, he repeats "when I was seventeen / my mother said to me / don't stop imagining / the day that you do is the day that you'll die" in a way that really moves you.

Most of the tracks on the album all employ the same clever technique of starting off with a minimalist composition before building up, piece-by-piece until they form a kind of hypnotising motion that really carries the work forward, akin to that of The xx. July is a perfect example of this, it starts with a gentle hum from a synthesiser, before Powers' vocals are introduced. He then adds keyboards to the mix, his voice then grows stronger and stronger until he lets his emotions show on the track. It has a finish that combines every element of the track in such a dynamic way; it feels almost triumphant. Not all of the songs are written in this way, with Daydream being the biggest anomaly on the album. Straight away, we're submerged in a pulsing synth beat which gives the track a decidedly more upbeat atmosphere than the rest of the album.

The fact that Powers is able to translate the recorded material into a live setting so successfully really says something about the artist. His Tunnelvision session for Pitchfork showcased what makes him great. This particular live recording of July arguably sounded better than the recorded version.

As you can probably tell, The Year of Hibernation is a pretty special record in my eyes, and that's why it's one of my favourites of 2011. The future's bright for Youth Lagoon, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

REVIEW: Blouse - Blouse

Blouse are a female-fronted dream pop band from Portland, Oregon. The band are a trio who formed after two friends, vocalist Charlie Hilton and bassist Patrick Adams, finished art school and met Unknown Mortal Orchestra producer/bassist Jacob Portrait. Their eponymous debut is a cocktail of synths, dreamy vocals and retro basslines that Joy Division would be proud of.

Front-woman Charlie Hilton delivers vocals that are soothing to the ear, but also have a haunting quality to them. She hits lower notes to a tee and her delivery can come close to a whispering quality, that really helps the chilled-out nature of the music, and seeps into your subconscious.

Lyrically, Hilton uses repetition to her advantage. The end of They Always Fly Away is that much more affecting because of the repetition of the title while the synths and drums slowly fade away. The same applies to Time Travel, where Hilton spends the latter half of the song repeating the refrain "I was in the future yesterday", which is a sign of their obvious desire to have been around during the 80's synth-pop boom. The rest of the album deals with themes of love and it all sounds very romantic, and this is expressed in the way Hilton sings.

The bass on most of the tracks sound like they would fit well on most of Unknown Pleasures, showing the bands obvious admiration for the bands that have come before them. Electronic drums protrude through all the record giving it a pulse that flows on an on, and doesn't give up throughout the whole of the record.

Into Black starts with an intro that sounds synonymous with the 80's synth-pop scene, very much reminiscent of early era Cure, with a bassline throughout to bolster that inspiration. Album midpoint Videotapes is shrouded in synth, with them almost drowning out Hilton's vocals. This makes a nice change from the minimalist feel of the tracks that came before.

The biggest downfall of the album is that, although none of the tracks are decidedly bad, they don't do enough to separate themselves from one another, and the album seems to blend all into one. The music industry has seen no shortage of retro 80's throwbacks as of late; it's a shame that Blouse didn't come out with this debut sooner, because then it would seem like a record more worthy of applause than it is currently.

2011 has seen a lot of great albums that you could stick into the same ballpark as Blouse, such as BRAIDS, Still Corners and New Look. I'm just not sure that Blouse show enough individuality to really stick out in this day and age.

Still, the album is enjoyable enough to make it worth listening to. Dream pop is a genre that has seen a recent revival in a big way and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. With their debut, Blouse show that they know how to write a good set of songs that mimic the spirit of music from the 80's, but until they find their own identity they risk never being able to capture the attention of the larger audience that they will someday deserve.

7/10

REVIEW: Yuck @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 22/11/11

The atmosphere was just right in the Wedgewood Rooms that evening, the venue was at max capacity, we'd just witnessed two support acts, Gross Magic and Fanzine, who made a valiant effort to captivate the vast crowd before them, and In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel was on in the background. Yuck were due to come on to the stage any moment now...

I had little idea of what to expect from Yuck, with the only insight into their live performances I had were from Jools Holland and the like. I was generally impressed by what I had seen, so subsequently had high expectations for their set tonight.

The band emerged to much applause, starting off with Holing Out. They started off strong, the crowd were enthusiastic, and they played it really well. This continued throughout the night; the band performed all the highpoints of their short career to grateful crowds admirably.

Highlight of the show was always going to be Get Away, far and away the biggest crowd-pleaser of the evening, just after The Wall. They built up to it using different effects and drums and the moment a recognisable note was made, applause erupted. The crowd were the liveliest they had been all night, and it lasted until the closing notes of the song. The bass-line, provided by Mariko Doi, felt almost Pixies-esque.

The slower, more heart-felt songs of the set were met with admiration from the crowd. It showed that frontman Daniel Blumberg actually did have a great voice, Shook Down highlighted this, refrains of "you could be my destiny / you could mean that much to me" felt sincere coming from the singer.

Vocal work on personal favourite song, Operation, was done by lead guitarist Max Bloom and he did a surprisingly good job. He mimicked Blumberg's vocal style, and delivered it with passion.

The biggest flaw of the evening was that none of the band seemed to have the confidence they needed to truly work the crowd and make it a memorable gig. It felt like they were just going through the motions, and the only interaction with the crowd was the occasional "this song is called..." or "thank you so much for coming". The main singer's stage presence was very small, and he seemed very timid throughout.

The band frequently indulged in bouts of distortion for minutes on end between songs with onlookers looking baffled. This was emphasised during the closing of their set, where people looked perplexed about whether they were supposed to leave the venue or wait until the end. The band, having exhausted the vast majority of their material throughout the set, did not return for an encore. I'm a fan of distortion in music, but when it's used to that extent it just becomes slightly unbearable.

One day, it may be possible that Yuck will be known as a truly great band, both on record and in a live setting. While they proved tonight that they had the skill to play music in front of 500 people, they didn't show the showmanship that is required to make people really feel like part of the live experience. Until they find a way to boost their self confidence on stage, I can't truly recommend going to see them live over listening to the record at home.

REVIEW: Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler / The Dream

Thee Oh Sees never seem to take a break from music, with this record being the second record to be released this year alone, after May's excellent Castlemania. The project started out as an outlet for frontman John Dwyer (of Coachwhips fame) to release experimental recordings, and as such, each record seems to have a very different sound to it, much like fellow San Francisco contemporary Ty Segall. Where Castlemania had a very much toned down feel to it, this album showcases the madness that can ensue when the band is at full force.

On first listen, Thee Oh Sees' new record, Carrion Crawl / The Dream can be a bit too much to take in. Bombastic arrangements and distortion foray around the record while front man John Dwyer's vocals intertwine with female vocalist and keyboardist Brigid Dawson to create a vocal harmonies very much reminiscent of the Pixies. Dwyer's voice varies wildly throughout the record; at times he'll be yelping at high pitches (again, reminiscent of Black Francis) and other times he'll have a fierce, gravelly tone.  

The hazy lo-fi production of the record makes it feel like they're playing it on the spot and helps the music engulf you. It has a certain raw quality that really echoes the energy that their live shows are renowned for. The album is riddled with riffs that feel almost contagious; this reflects on the garage-rock routes of the band. Dwyer's distorted guitar solos throughout the album really accentuate this, and they're a particular high-point of the penultimate track Crack in Your Eye.

Having two drummers in a band is a novelty that not many bands indulge in, but like bands such as Modest Mouse and Dananananaykroyd, Thee Oh Sees have taken full advantage of their two drummers on this record. They help create some rhythm segments that would be entirely impossible otherwise, and give the whole record an unforgiving pace and sense of rhythm.

The album's title refers to two of the tracks on the album, the former being the opener and the latter being a distinct midpoint. Within seconds of the opening track, we hear traces of saxophones before it slowly builds up piece by piece to create a meandering clutter of distortion, while maintaining a constant rhythm that feels infectious. The latter is a seven-minute spectacle that is made up of fast-paced rhythm sections and littered with Dwyer's shrill vocals. Guitars surround the hazy vocals in a cloud of distorted bliss.

Chem-Farmer, a four-minute instrumental track on the album highlights the effectiveness that repetition can have, as well as showing the true genius of having two drummers. The track floats by with a surprisingly minimalist feel, compared to the rest of the album, with primarily just drums and guitars, and a sprinkling of keys to keep it going.

With Carrion Crawler / The Dream, Thee Oh Sees have produced a record that perfectly outlines what makes them great as a band. Not convinced by this album? Never mind, they'll no doubt have another chance to sway your opinion just around the corner.

8/10

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Bear Driver

Bear Driver are a six piece collective now based in London, who implement instrumentation typical of a indie folk band, but they use this to create upbeat surf pop that seems to have the edge over most of what is happening in the UK scene at the moment. The band have been around since about 2009 and have received a lot of support from BBC Introducing over the years.

The biggest comparison to be made is with the likes of Arcade fire, Super Furry Animals and Smith Westerns. With a diverse style and accordion in tow, the band share vocal duties to create moving melodies that shift in tempo regularly.

Their debut EP, Paws & Claws, was self released in 2009 to much acclaim from the press. Glockenspiels and synths permeate through the record forming warm melodies. The band use a mix of male and females vocals to form multi-layered harmonies in a way that has drawn a lot of attention to them.

Appearances at lots of UK festivals throughout the years, such as Reading & Leeds, End of the Road and Brainwash festival, they are no stranger to playing to large audiences. They completed their first proper UK tour in late 2010, having otherwise stayed primarily near Leeds beforehand.

In 2010 they released the single Wolves, which is a delightful pop song strewn with infectious hooks and a dynamic mix of strings and keys. The B-side to that single, Long Lost Giants, is a slower, more moving piece with sprinklings of violins and distorted guitar chords.

The first single from their debut album, Never Never, has a more dreamy surf-pop like quality about it, with hazy vocals meandering between big guitar tinges. There's just something about the track that makes it impossible to listen to just once.

Their as-yet-untitled debut album is due out in February and you can download the first single, Never Never, here. This is a really exciting time for the band and I have a feeling that sometime soon they might just be a household name. 

LATE TO THE PARTY: Sparky Deathcap

Just to let you know, I am completely and utterly transfixed by Sparky Deathcap's Tear Jerky EP at the moment. I know that it came out in 2009, but I missed it altogether at release for some reason. 

Sparky Deathcap (also known as Rob Taylor) toured extensively with Los Campesinos! before actually becoming a permanent member of the band in 2010, but before that (and during) he creates serene folk-pop. The style varies widely on the EP, with violin reminiscent of Owen Pallett, and a plethora of early Patrick Wolf influences.

What grabbed me from the offset was the fact that all of the tracks on the record were so diverse, each one had a distinct atmosphere about them; from fast-paced closer 'Send it to Oslo', to Sufjan Stevens influenced 'September'. This constant change of tone stops the EP ever feeling old, or same-y. With an 18 minute running time, there's very little chance of that happening anyway.

Lyrically, the EP conquers themes of travelling, break-ups and loneliness in a fashion that's quite typical of a 20-something indie-folk type. But Sparky has something special about him, there's a sense of bleak coldness about the record but he manages to make it sound endearing.

The highlight for me is definitely Winter City Ghosts. It mixes a hypnotic drum beat with Wind in the Wires­-esque guitar work with austere lyrics such as 'I'm not fooling you / I don't know anyone in this city / I don't know you / And you don't really know me' making this song almost an addiction for me.

Sparky Deathcap supposedly has a lot more musical output under his sleeve, hopefully a full-length should be arriving in the next 12 months or so. I, for one, can't wait. He is also an accomplished illustrator, including designing everything to do with the Hello Sadness singles and artwork. Check out his site that he updates every other day with witty single-frame comics.

REVIEW: Future of the Left - Polymers are Forever EP

Formed from the ashes of much-lauded Mclusky, Future of the Left had a lot of expectations to live up to initially. With their debut, Curses, in 2007, FOTL didn't quite meet these steep expectations, although they showed a lot of promise. Most importantly; they still maintained the spirit of the band that came before them, albeit with less of the raw passion. Follow-up, Travels with Myself and Others was a marked improvement on the first record, showing some of Frontman Andy Falkous' strongest song-writing to date.

So now we're left with Polymers are Forever, a 6-track EP which is their first release in just under two and a half years. It is being released on the eve of their third album, The Plot Against Common Sense, due in Feb 2012.

Falkous's unique way of writing songs is fully on display in this offering, mixing narrative story with darkly humorous lyrical content. it is undoubtedly one of the strongest aspects of Future of the Left's music. Who knows if the stories told in the lyrics are biographical in nature? It doesn't matter. What does matter is that they form some incredibly entertaining  and witty lyrics. No one else writes a song the way that Falkous does.

The EP switches from thunderous, distortion-filled sections and slower, more audible parts at the drop of a hat while maintaining a frantic pace throughout.  Stabbing guitar riffs dominate the majority of the record, mixed with synths that feed into the dynamics. Polymers is as aggressively noisy as you'd come to expect from a band such as this, and wouldn't sound out of place in Les Savy Fav's discography.

Record opener, the titular Polymers Are Forever, sets the tone for the record with Falkous's vocals, distinctive as ever, blending with an intense synth-heavy riff that creates that familiar Future of the Left sound we know and love. Falkous sounds ferocious on the track, with snarls of "make it eternal / make it exist!" sure to gain a big reaction from the audience in a live setting. The pace doesn't let up with track 2, with a running time of 1:46, it shows the intensity that Mclusky were famed for and it's great to see that it remains here.

New Adventures is a surprisingly upbeat midpoint of the album, and a definite highlight. It tells the tale of an unlikely couple in the 70's, and deals with topics such as drug addiction, alcohol dependency and death in such a jolly manner that you wouldn't realise without close analysis. This really highlights the genius of the song-writing at hand here, with lyrics such as "her second husband came / and left before the spring / it must have been the season for unhappy drunks / her father had a similar trigger" flowing effortlessly.

Album closer destroywitchurch.com is almost reminiscent of Pulp in the way Falkous uses his vocals in a whispering, spoken-word style to evoke an eerie atmosphere. It is split into three distinctive parts that meld together to give a worthy finish to the song collection.

It's worth noting that the latter half of the EP consists of demo-versions of the songs; they were not re-recorded for this release. It doesn't have too much of a negative impact on the EP as a whole, but it's fair to say that slightly more on a sheen wouldn't have hurt. The songs are strong enough on their own to not have to rely on production values.

As a return to the scene after a relatively long break, Polymers are Forever shows exactly what the band are all about; it's a diverse mix of ear-melting guitar/synth work, dark and witty lyricism that you really can't find elsewhere and infectious melodies. It all falls together to create what is an excellent appetiser for their next offering early next year. Welcome back Future of the Left, you were missed.

8/10

REVIEW: Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness

It feels like Hello Sadness has been such a long time in the making, when in fact it's only been around 18 months since 2010's brilliant Romance is Boring. A lot has changed within the band; some members have departed and there have been some new arrivals. Although they are still a seven piece, the dynamics have changed quite drastically.

Los Campesinos!, as a band, have only been making music for just over five years, and in those five short years we've seen 4 albums and 2 EPs, all of which are solid releases. You would think that the speed at which they release would have a detrimental effect on the quality of their work, but that is not the case, in fact it's the opposite. With each album, they seem to get stronger and stronger as a band, and with Hello Sadness they don't seem to be stopping that tradition any time soon.

The album deals with the themes of breakups, sadness and death, as is telling from the record's title, but it does so in a surprisingly upbeat fashion, although not to the extent of their previous work. There are some lulls in the pace  (Hate for the Island in particular) but for the most part they keep it moving upward and onward throughout all of the ten-tracks.

Frontman Gareth's ability to conjure vivid images in their listeners' minds is ever present across the record, with vast use of metaphor mixed with very down-to-earth lyrics that makes it feel like something we can relate to while still keeping it on multiple levels. For example, in a highlight of the album The Black Bird, The Dark Slope Gareth uses the image of a blackbird extensively to represent the dark side and flaws in him, and in all of us, and how they hold him back. In contrast, some songs, such as By Your Hand are very much grounded in reality, with lyrics such as "'cause we were kissing for hours / with her hands down my trousers / she could not contain herself, suggests we go back to her house" that we know and love from Los Campesinos!

  

Musically, the album is a lot more conventional in the way its structured and how it will be viewed in the eyes of the general public as far as indie-pop goes. It all feels a lot more toned down but this fits the overall mood of the album well. Gone is the sporadic shouting and distortion on most of the tracks, leaving a more refined, grown-up album.  

It'd be hard for a band to beat an opening track like In Medias Res from 2010's effort, but Los Campesinos! try their hardest and might have just succeeded. By Your Hand, the lead single from the album, starts the album off with a bang. The song is filled with sing-along choruses, Gareth's trademark, biographical lyrical styling's and arguably one of the catchiest melodies of the year.

The hooks found in their previous work are not lost in the transition to their new sound though. Songs like Baby I Got The Death Rattle and the eponymous Hello Sadness have massive triumphant finishes, and a hell of a lot of energy. Hearing a crowd shout the words "not headstone, but headboard / where I wanna be mourned" is quite an unforgettable experience, and just shows the emphasis LC! can put into their music while still maintaining their tongue-in-cheek nature.

Although it may sound like I'm overflowing with praise for the record, it's not all gravy. The final track on the album, Light Leaves, Dark Sees pt. II, feels like a missed opportunity. The track is a lot slower than others found on the album and with lyrics like "but they request that I leave / 'cause my sad eyes are too much to bear" it attempts to be a coveted emotional finish (a la Coda: A Burn Scar in the Shape of the Sooner State from RIB) but seems to miss the mark completely. The song then divulges into a chorus of woaaaah's from the rest of the band, it all seems a bit contrived. But that's only a slight knock at an otherwise brilliant collection of songs.

Hello Sadness sounds like a record made by a band who know what they want to do and are proud of that fact. They've always been associated with keywords such as 'quirky' and 'twee' but they've countered those views by making a record that is their most accessible yet and maybe they'll attract a bigger audience now with what might just be their strongest album to date. Heck, they deserve it.

9/10

FIREWORKS MARK NOTHING WORSE THAN THIS: Johnny Foreigner

Ever since Arcs Across the City, their debut EP, I've loved everything Johnny Foreigner have put out, and this week they released their third album, Johnny Foreigner vs. Everything. Few UK bands seem to have the passion these days that Johnny Foreigner put out on each recordings and this goes a long way for them. 


Although I've only seen them live once, that was enough for me to know that they were one to look out for. This particular song is the opening track off an EP with a name too long to remember, and shows how they seemlessly mix melody with noise, with distortion coming from all corners but still maintaining a pleasant beat and great lyrics.


Although the former video shows a more lively side of JF, there's two sides to every coin. The new album has some prime examples of the mellower side to their sound. It's also accompanied by a lovely little video made by Jacob Tomlinson. "I'm not done with this / I'm not giving in / I'm not giving up on you" sings frontman Alexei Berrow on a song which shows a newer, more matured side to the band. 

Their new album is out now via Alcopop! records, expect a review very soon. You can catch them in the UK this weekend in London and Birmingham. I recommend you do.

UPCOMING END OF YEAR LIST

It's nearing that time of year where all the major music publications and blogs start compiling lists of the best of the best of what this year had to offer musically. Now, this being a music blog, I've decided to do the same. I've started compiling a list but it's still in early stages, I'll start publishing said list one by one as a top 25 albums and tracks of the year. Expect this to happen in December time-ish. Just so you know.


2011 has been one of my favourite years ever, musically. So many albums have caught my attention but some a lot more than others. Its going to be tough picking where all of them go on my list but I think you'll agree with the majority of them. Well, if you're like me, you will. I'll keep you updated!

MY WEEK IN LISTS:

Favourite new releases from this week:
Johnny Foreigner - Johnny Foreigner vs. Everything
Atlas Sound - Parallax


Best moments from this week: 
You! Me! Dancing! at the haunt in Brighton, Los Campesinos! make my life.
Dananananaykroyd playing Enter Sandman as an encore on Monday, before turning it into Infinity Milk. Gonna miss them loads, such a great band.


Reviews forthcoming (probably) in the next week:
Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness
Johnny Foreigner - Johnny Foreigner vs. Everything
Atlas Sound - Parallax


Best track I've heard this week: The Black Keys - Run Right Back


Oh, and I co-host a radio show on my University radio station now, Wednesday 6-7pm on www.purefm.com/listen, check us out. We play good music, I promise.