Taylor Swift, 1989 review: So long country roads

Change. Having spent ten years as the poster girl for the American country scene, Taylor Swift's reinvention has been a long time coming. 1989 may sound like a 24-year step backwards, but the confidence that drives its addictive synth tunes and stadium choruses marks a sonic revolution for a singer famed for twangy guitars and angst-ridden lyrics. A sharp, inventive pop album, 1989 is a far cry from Swift's Pennsylvanian roots and is without a doubt her boldest record to date.


If 2012's Red was a transition between Swift's traditional songwriting and full-blown pop, 1989 is the final nail in the coffin of the country roads and pickup trucks of old. The dynamic shift in style is apparent even from the album's first few seconds (Welcome To New York's pitch perfect keyboard could have opened any track by Blondie or Simple Minds), but it doesn't end there. 1989 delivers warm, electronic beats complemented by moreish melodies and enormous, undeniable choruses unheard on any previous song, and there's barely a hint of acoustic guitar at any point on the record. While such radical advancements could easily alienate Swift's core fanbase, the quality of anthems such as Shake It Off should be enough to silence any lingering doubts over the new sound. After all, if it's going to be pop, it might as well be great pop.

Lead single Shake It Off's sass and bile in its tirade against the "haters" is a perfect showcase of the expansion in lyrical themes found on 1989. Whereas Red gained notoriety for targeted attacks on Swift's ex-boyfriends, the new album covers a wider range of topics including escape and rebirth, while Welcome To New York offers a thrilling landscape of the city that never sleeps. Love is discussed of course, but it's approached in a more mature, perceptive way than past efforts. There's little of Red's lyrical arrogance on display here, but a more cautious outlook occasionally gives way to over-sentimentality. It's most obvious on tracks at the back end of the album such as This Love, whose mawkish "this love is good, this love is bad" refrain smacks of cringeworthy cliche. As with past records, the pacing sags and the songs struggle to maintain their quality towards the ending, although it's less noticeable than on Red due to the album's comparative shortness. It's not a major complaint, but it's unfortunate that the energy of 1989's best songs are once again let down by a couple of failures late in the day. It's also worth noting that, for all Shake It Off's excellence, there's no single here as unarguably perfect as I Knew You Were Trouble.

While much of 1989 has the sound of late 80's pop-rock, the fact that's Swift's reinvention is based upon old themes rather than genuinely new exploration does little to undermine the album's success. Swift treats the decade with a loving reverence which allows her to add her own flair to well-worn elements without making a mockery of either, and as such the album truly sounds like her own record and not a half backed 80's rip off. More than past albums on which Swift felt the pressure to appease her country-loving fans, on 1989 she's chosen the influences she likes and written the music she wants to. As such, it's perhaps her purest piece of work.

While it suffers from issues seemingly inevitable on Taylor Swift albums, 1989 marks a valiant musical shift and is loaded with sublime pop confection. Quietly intelligent but brazenly confident, it's a change to be welcomed, even if it does spell the end for Nashville twang.

8/10

World Peace Is None Of Your Business review: Morrissey's outspoken comeback

Ever since the dissolution of the iconic Smiths, the career of their legendary frontman Morrissey has been one of ups and downs. It's taken him through undisputed genius (1994's Vauxhall and I) to flat lifelessness (1991's Kill Uncle) and everything inbetween, and now, five years after his last outing, a tenth solo record is on the brink of release. Despite its name, World Peace Is None Of Your Business goes beyond a predictable stab at a political statement; it's an intelligent, soulful album which showcases Morrissey at his most life-affirming and essential.

Now well into the third decade of his career, it would have been all too easy for Morrissey to record an album as a homage to his past rather than a vision of the future, but World Peace... is quite the opposite. Indeed, there's an impressive level of variety and experimentation on display as the singer explores a wide range of instrumentation and technique. From the staccato guitar assault of Neal Cassady Drops Dead to the funk elements of Istanbul, this is perhaps Morrissey's most musically ambitious and widely influenced solo record to date. However, themes honed to perfection since the days of The Smiths remain unchanged and overused, most notably the disturbing juxtaposition of black-hearted lyrics and sugar-sweet melody. While fresh and innovative on its early uses in The Smith's 1986 masterpiece The Queen Is Dead, this frequently copied technique now feels too much like an uncle showing off the photos of his college years; unobjectionable, yet ultimately dated and irrelevant. Despite this, the lyrics/music contrast is still superbly executed, most brilliantly on I'm Not a Man, a bitingly personal portrait of domestic violence in which Morrissey recalls a "picturesque wife beater."

On the subject of lyrics, the genius wordsmith behind the likes of There is a Light That Never Goes Out, First of the Gang to Die and Boxers is on fine form thirty years after his words were first heard on The Smith's debut album. World Peace... is not as brazenly political as its name would have you believe; despite its opening track blaring the slogan "each time you vote you support the process" its lyrics are actually remarkably varied and rich.  I'm Not a Man is among the most focussed and complete efforts, but memorable moments are rife elsewhere, such as on Neal Cassady Drops Dead's study of infectious diseases "everyone has babies, babies full of rabies, rabies full of scabies". It's unfortunate that Morrissey appears to be straining on later tracks; Kiss Me a Lot is as gut-wrenching mawkish as a teenage romantic novel, and Smiler With Knife also lacks the quality of the album's first half. These low points cause an inconsistent pace and feel like they simply shouldn't be there, and on an album that's lengthy anyway little would have been lost by removing them.

While It's not without its blips and predictabilities, World Peace... remains a stellar entry in Morrissey's extensive back catalogue. It's outspoken, explorative and at times deeply humorous, and is without a doubt one of the best comebacks of the year so far.

7/10

Glastonbury 2014: Should Metallica face the axe?

It's been a turbulent month for Glastonbury festival organiser Michael Eavis. Having been bombarded with criticism for the booking of ageing American rockers Metallica as headliners, he's now facing fresh controversy with the news that singer James Hetfield is set to narrate The Hunt, an 8-part TV series documenting the killing of Kodiak bears in Alaska. With the concept of big game hunting being completely at odds with the political ideals of the festival, is it time for Eavis to act?

The news of Hetfield's narration role has sent shockwaves through the musical community, as Metallica now not only musically contrasts the traditional hippy image of Glastonbury, but is also juxtaposed in ideals. As a well known supporter of groups promoting animal rights such as Greenpeace, Glastonbury seems the festival least suited to a Metallica performance. Surely Eavis, a political activist and animal rights campaigner himself, can't condone a group which promotes the senseless slaughter of endangered species. Bear in mind, this is not a programme about killing for food or survival. This is murder for the sake of entertainment.

But let's give the band a fair trial. Although Hetfield's actions appear unforgivable, what of the rest of the group? Certainly, the other three members of the band have never shown the slightest interest in hunting, so banning the band from the festival would likely be punishment overkill. Then there's the practical issues with axing the band to contend with; Eavis would need a replacement headliner with the festival less than a month away, and last-minute ticket resales would have to be organised for those disappointed to miss the band. It's unfortunate that the brave move to book the festival's first ever heavy metal headliner has been so disastrous for Eavis and co, as they spectacularly pulled off their first headline rap performance with Jay-Z in 2008. Despite been one of the best live acts around, it seems unlikely that anything but a career-defining performance will make up for the storm of controversy the booking of Metallica has caused.

Perhaps Hetfield has underestimated the political stance of the festival he's set to front, but his actions seem undeserved of a total ban despite a 25,000 strong petition to drop his band from the lineup. An apology would likely be sufficient, but Metallica should stand as a warning to future performers: Glastonbury is a national institution, and not one you should cross.

Donker Mag review: A dismal third outing for Die Antwoord

It's been six years since the rap-rave trio Die Antwoord exploded out of South Africa with the release of their phenomenal debut album $O$. Since then, they've gained a reputation for stunning audiences across the globe with music that combines effortless catchiness with a passion for experimentation, and in doing so the group have created a style truly worthy of the word unique. They've flirted with controversy, amassed a loyal cult fanbase and smashed festivals all over the word with a powerful live show, and now Donker Mag, their third album, has finally been released. But was it worth the wait?

Having heard the two pre-released singles, Cookie Thumper and Pitbull Terrier, you'd be forgiven for imagining Donker Mag to exist as some kind of musical holy grail, such was the brilliance of that musical duo. However, it's instantly clear that the rest of the album completely fails to match the quality of its singles. This is most apparent on the first half of the album, which features almost none of the grabby electro hooks which dominated previous efforts, and while the second half picks up the pace, it never quite reaches the same highs. An irritating reliance on short, spoken word tracks also forces the record into a disjointed, forced state, making the piece sound more like a ramshackle collection of beats than a serious album. It's a real shame that there's so much filler, because when Donker Mag is good, it's absolutely incredible (see Cookie Thumper, Pitbull Terrier and Sex). That Die Antwoord made such little effort in songwriting is a huge source of disappointment, because some fantastic yet rare moments suggest that the record could have been a modern classic. Lyrically, Donker Mag sticks to the form of the music: crass, predictable and unpleasant. The lack of imagination in the vast majority of the lyrics is hard to believe, and a ridiculous over-reliance on swearing only numbs the use of the words and makes the group appear childish. Occasional racial slurs are also pointless and slightly embarrassing, while the massive sexualisation of singer Yo-Landi simply furthers the impression that the trio are sexist, racist and promoters of discrimination. Of course, Die Antwoord still sound like nothing else on earth; those scathing beats and angry vocals are still the cutting edge of modern music. But aside from a decline in the strength of the songs, Donker Mag sounds almost identical to the band's two previous albums, a lack of evolution totally out of character with a group so musically dynamic and diverse.

Die Antwoord may claim to possess a sound that is completely their own, but Donker Mag shows that it's no good having a unique style if you can't accomplish the more basic achievement of writing good songs. It's not without its moments, but this record lacks ambition, creativity and innovation, and revolves around an overused style the group have had nailed since their debut album. It's no exaggeration to say that Donker Mag could be the most disappointing album of 2014.

4/10

The Star Spangled Banner: at least it's better than God Save The Queen

I’ve been listening to The Star Spangled Banner recently, largely because I’ve finally realised that the lovely tune featured at least once in every American blockbuster is in fact the national anthem of the United States (and because of its use on the My Chemical Romance song Goodnight Dr Death, in which that wonderful, building ending is replaced by a startling interrupted cadence. Yes, I’ve been revising for my music GCSE too). I’ve never been a patriot, but for all my well honed cynicism The Star Spangled Banner makes me want to rise from my seat, cast aside my revision notes and sing to the heavens in a passionately tuneless voice, God bless America.  Every time I hear it, I’m struck to the bone by a sudden epiphany and I truly understand why every American seems so proud of the country.  And yet, I’m from England. I’ve never even visited the states.

So what culture-connecting power does the American anthem have to inspire me to such an extent? The sheer quality of music is one thing; The Star Spangled Banner is just under two minutes of nationalistic oral bliss with potentially racist undertones. More important however is the dismal, dreary halo surrounding my own nation’s anthem, currently entitled God Save The Queen (until good old Queen Liz decides to snuff it and pass the title on to Prince Charles, perhaps the only person in the country who’d be less competent as head of state than the Queen herself. At least she behaves).  Not only does God Save The Queen lack the booming, stately aurora of The Star Spangled Banner, its “born to reign over us” tag rings hollow in a time where the monarchy has been cheapened by the media and inevitably become irrelevant.

Perhaps it’s the simple fact that music holds more power over the human mind than the confines of a country that makes me prefer the American national anthem to our own, as the Yanks clearly have the edge on the songwriting front. Maybe it’s my age old hatred for the monarchy which has disillusioned me with God Save The Queen. In any case, the chances of changing our anthem to something more interesting are about as remote as Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats winning a landslide majority in the general election next year, so I’ll just stick to foreign imports for my nationalism fix until the revolution comes.

The top ten Arctic Monkeys songs

So after compiling a list of the 25 best Muse songs, I fancied a go at another favourite band, Sheffield's own Arctic Monkeys. I managed to trim this down to ten without too much difficulty although I was forces to miss a few classics out, so without further ado, the top ten Arctic Monkeys songs.


10. R U Mine (AM, 2013)
Combining the ferocity of debut album cuts like The View From The Afternoon and I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor with the style and swagger of more developed tracks including Do I Wanna Know produced one of AM's true highlights and a riff that finally sold the band to every heavy metal magazine in the world.


9. Fluorescent Adolescent (Favourite Worst Nightmare, 2007)

A rare moment of genius in the rather samey Favourite Worst Nightmare, Fluorescent Adolescent bounces along with an infectious melody and Morrisey-esque lyrical delivery. Indeed, the song often sounds like a homage to The Smiths, with its sugar sweet tune played alongside detailed observationalist lyrics such as "flicking through a little book of sex tips, remember when the boys were all electric".

8. Secret Door (Humbug, 2009)

A song in many ways synonymous with the more mature style which stemmed from a collaboration with Queens of the Stone Age man Josh Homme on third album Humbug, Secret Door showcases the Monkeys stripped of the heavy rock riffs, yet developing a more complex, layered style supported by another infectious tune.

7. When The Sun Goes Down (Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, 2006)

Among the darkest and most reality-checking singles ever to hit the UK number one spot, When The Sun Goes Down recants a dismal tale of prostitution on the streets of Sheffield told with a sly but poignant lyrical touch by Alex Turner. It's among the most intelligent tracks on the debut album, but it's still complimented by the usual suspects of a selection of brilliantly distorted riffs and an immortal shouted chorus.

6. Love Is A Laserquest (Suck It And See, 2011)

While Turner's lyrics are often dismissed as, well, a little naff, on Suck It And See the band hit almost poetic lyrical highs. Love Is A Laserquest is perhaps the album's highest point, as Turner sings a a tragic ballad of a character unable to move on from a lost love, similar in many ways to the brilliant Cornerstone. The drums and electric guitars are almost an annoyance here, as Turner's solo acoustic version does his words far more justice.

5. Mardy Bum (Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, 2006)

Inspiration for the Monkeys first album was taken almost totally from personal experience, which is surely why Mardy Bum's ode to domestic arguments was so identifiable for so many people. Its summery, instantly catchy tune compliments the conflicting lyrics in a style akin to The Smiths, although the sublime guitar solo is distinctly un-Johnny Marr-ish.

4. Do I Wanna Know (AM, 2013)

A perfect fusion of riffs and melodies, Do I Wanna Know is the undisputed highlight of recent album AM no matter how much you believe that "the one everyone knows is never the best." A single jarring tune evolves into a layered, textured musical landscape in one of the band's most finey crafted pieces to date.

3. 505 (Favourite Worst Nightmare, 2007)
He may have touched on it on Mardy Bum, but 505 was Turner's first full blown love song, and it's unconventional to say the least. From twisted macabre lyrics like "I'd probably still adore you with your hands around my neck" to the way the song explodes from sensual organ chords into a hail of heavy metal in its final moments, this is hardly a classic love ballad, but it's remains a shining example of a track remaing poignant and subtle without becoming a mockery of itself.


2. Cornerstone (Humbug, 2009)
Humbug's finest moment appears in the form of Cornerstone, a tragic, sensual song revolving around the life of a man unable to move on from the supposed death of the of the one he loves. Through the shifting use of the refrain "can I call you her name", Turner paints a shocking picture as his character fails to grasp the opportunity to love again and descends into an apparent madness, and it's perfected by acoustic backing, comimg-and-going melodies and a dreamy, shifting guitar solo.


1. A Certain Romance (Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, 2006)
One of the greatest guitar songs every written, A Certain Romance brings together all the elements of the greatest of Monkeys songs to create the best of them all. From slashed power chords to a tentative melody and stunning attacked guitar solo, the track merges almost every technique and inspiration that band have used to date; a feat even more impressive when it's considered that the song appears on their debut album. And with superb lyrics dissecting the rivalries between cliques, groups and genres, A Certain Romance really is a certain kind of genius.


I am truly, truly sorry that there was no space for Only Ones Who Know, Suck It And See, The View From The Afternoon, Crying Lightning and a few others, but on the whole I'm fairly pleased with the list. As ever, comment whatever feelings you have as you see fit.

Shapes of Screams review: Genius in absurdity

It's hard to put your finger on exactly why Lostalone aren't regular stadium fillers by this point, the release date of their third album, Shapes of Screams. They've had the songs since their debut record, as anyone who's heard Blood Is Sharp or Love Will Eat Your Alive will testify, and there's an almost Muse-esque quality about their live performances, full of flair and showmanship. They've got an impressive list of famous fans too, having been hand picked to support bands as huge as Paramore, 30 Seconds To Mars and My Chemical Romance on sold out arena tours. Even if the Derbyshire trio never achieve the mainstream success they so blatantly deserve, they can at least be proud of Shapes of Screams, their most ambitious record to date and undoubtedly one of the best albums of the year so far.

It's clear from the very first song on Shapes of Screams that the band has undergone an impressive musical evolution since the release of their 2012 second album I'm a UFO in this City, a record which, while full of polished, finely crafted rock songs, was by no means a genre game changer. Shapes of Screams is something else however, it writes a new chapter in the rock n' roll rulebook by combining the absurd pomp of the finest 80's glam rock with more violent, hardcore elements to create something which has genuinely never been tried before. This is no more apparent than on Crusaders, the first track, which merges the distorted riffs of previous Lostalone songs such as Did You Get What You Prayed For with a synth-infused chorus complete with marching drums and pop-punk bass lines. And that's not to mention the wobbling vocal effects, lullaby inspired ending and a section which seems to musically reference as many legendary guitarists as the band could come up with, from BB King to Brian May. What's quite extraordinary is that this colossal level of experimentation isn't limited to just one song, it's consistent of the whole record. Take the synthpop melody of Mental Health, or the off beat funk metal of Apathy, or the Christian choir employed to such great effect on Requiem, this album simply has it all. Influence from May's band Queen is still more apparent here than on their previous efforts, from falsetto guitar solos to harmonised choruses which even Freddie Mercury would have been proud of, but there are elements of Muse, My Chemical Romance and just about every 80's stadium rock band ever to have existed on display too.

More than simply its massive experimentation and phenomenal ambition, the true success of Shapes of Screams is that by combining such a huge range of ideas and influences, Lostalone have managed to record an album which actually works. It would have been all too easy for the record to have become as bloated and unlistenable as so many early experimental albums, but this is never the case on Shapes of Screams. The rooting of the album in the brilliant but beaten-track songs of I'm a UFO in this City allows for the experimentation to take place without preventing the tracks from being cohesive rock songs; there are no twenty five minute epics without melody or structure and the album remains a highly ambitious piece of work without becoming a caricature or travesty.

Shapes of Screams could be the most ambitious album of the year so far, but the real beauty of the record is that it surpasses success in every one of its lofty aspirations. It's catchy, memorable and striking original, enough to give you goosepimples and force you stop whatever you're doing to give it your full attention, a rare achievement given the huge supply of generic popular music around. A true cynic might call its unapologetically epic style ridiculous, but perhaps its ridiculousness is what makes it special. Either way, I could find no way of faulting Shapes of Screams, Lostalone have set the standard for 2014, and it's going to take something quite spectacular to top it.

10/10  

The 25 best Muse songs

With my favourite band Muse hitting their 20th anniversary (you what?) this year, what a pleasant idea I thought it would be to cherry pick my ten favourite songs by the Devonshire trio to post on this blog. After some minutes of crying and ripping out my hair (for the most part metaphorically speaking), that list grew to fifteen, twenty and eventually twenty five classic tracks. It's not perfect, and it's inevitably missing a few from limited space, but here you go: for me the twenty five greatest Muse songs of all time.

25. Dead Star
A rare example of Muse at full on metal mode, Dead Star's driving riff and polished chorus make for one of the band's heaviest and most unhinged songs.
Find it: Dead Star Single (2002)

24. Map of Your Head
Similar in many ways to the brilliant Unintended,  Matt Bellamy takes the style of The Smiths in the song's dark lyrics sung over an infectious, sugar sweet acoustic melody.
Find it: Hullabaloo Soundtrack (2002)


23.  Supremacy
The Bond theme that never was, Supremacy's explosive, pompous stomp and ludicrously high vocals are doubtless the highlight of The 2nd Law.
Find it: The 2nd Law (2012)

22. Time is Running Out
Perhaps the finest pop nugget from an impressive arsenal of classics, Time is Running Out's polished, progressive chorus helped push the band into mega-stardom on their third album proper Absolution.
Find it: Absolution (2004)

21. Falling Down
Before their lyrical themes turned interstellar, Muse wrote this wonderful anthem for the disaffected youth in which Bellamy paints a bizarre picture of destroying the small town the group grew up in.
Find it: Showbiz (1999)

20. Sing For Absolution
And on the album where the lyrics did hit the stars, this floating, piano led classic stands out as the band's greatest ballad. "Sing for absolution, I will be singing".
Find it: Absolution (2004)

19.  Sunburn
"Come waste your millions here" begins the first song on debut album Showbiz, a track which hinted of the band's prog influences in its recurring piano ostinato moving dreamily into a heavier guitar based chorus and solo.
Find it: Showbiz (1999)

18. Invincible
Another superb, progressive ballad, Invincible is a hidden gem as one of the more understated tracks on the epic Black Holes and Revelations.
Find it: Black Holes and Revelations (2006)

17. Blackout
Much has been made of the similarities between Muse and Radiohead over the years, and while Blackout could have been a standout on any post-OK Computer record, it comes with a stunning identity of its own as an early example of the orchestral influences which would eventually bring the band to write the phenomenal Exogenesis Symphony.
Find it: Absolution (2004)

16. Muscle Museum
Of all the songs Muse have cut from their live setlists over their career, Muscle Museum could well be the most unfortunate loss; it's a stellar track perhaps overshadowed by its legendary "guitar solo" which is actually sung.
Find it: Showbiz (1999)

15. Resistance

The almost-title track on the band's fifth album, Resistance evolves from a Pet Shop Boys influenced synthpop opening to its stunning chorus "love is our resistance" in one of their best tracks of recent years.
Find it: The Resistance (2009)

14. Unintended
The stunningly rare occasions of genuine love songs in Muse's career rarely mark the band's finest hours, but this simple acoustic anthem from their first album remains a fan favourite to this day and is a shining example of a band retaining their power while stripped of distortion and hundred-watt amps.
Find it: Showbiz (1999)

13. Hysteria
Aside from Plug In Baby, Hysteria is perhaps the song most synonymous with Muse's sound. As the lead single on classic third album Absolution, Hysteria sees the band managing brilliantly to write a guitar song for bass, resulting in an iconic riff and the ever catchy chorus of "I want it all, give me your heart and your soul".
Find it: Absolution (2004)

12. Bliss
Cited by Matt Bellamy as his favourite of the band's songs, Bliss's soft keyboard arpeggios smash into a headbanging guitar riff in a track summed up perfectly by the NME as "perhaps the catchiest song ever written about wanting to electronically download someone else's happiness into your own brain".
Find it: Origin of Symmetry (2001)

11. Thoughts of a Dying Atheist
A brilliantly meditative piece dissecting the confusion and fear of death inevitably present due to a lack of faith in an afterlife, Thoughts of a Dying Atheist is an example of superb observational lyricism supported by a great guitar melody and possibly the best solo in Bellamy's huge arsenal.
Find it: Absolution (2004)

perhaps the catchiest song ever written about wanting to electronically download someone else’s happiness into your own brain.

Read more at http://www.nme.com/blogs/the-big-picture/20-best-muse-songs-as-voted-by-you#hI7ax6HkmJdLZoYu.99

perhaps the catchiest song ever written about wanting to electronically download someone else’s happiness into your own brain.

Read more at http://www.nme.com/blogs/the-big-picture/20-best-muse-songs-as-voted-by-you#hI7ax6HkmJdLZoYu.99

perhaps the catchiest song ever written about wanting to electronically download someone else’s happiness into your own brain.

Read more at http://www.nme.com/blogs/the-big-picture/20-best-muse-songs-as-voted-by-you#hI7ax6HkmJdLZoYu.99

10. Ruled by Secrecy
Muse are at their best when flirting with brilliant prog insanity, and Ruled by Secrecy is doubtless one of the greatest examples of this rule. The song somehow finds a way for its simple drum beat and bass line to become an explosive wall of grand-piano dominated sound before fading into the sound of a beating heart in a short few minutes of music. Described by Bellamy as being about "this man who's come back from work and he's just shot everyone and killed everyone, and he's come back to his wife with a load of blood all over his hands going 'I've just blown it ... I lost it ... I lost the plot", it's clear that despite it's rich and textured music the song remains one of the band's darkest moments.
Find it: Absolution (2004)

9. New Born
As the opener to second album Origin of Symmetry, it seemed clear from the first few seconds of tinkley grand piano that the band had simply produced a carbon copy of debut album Showbiz. But moments later, New Born introduces a new era in a hail of distorted riffology and that screamed chorus "destroy the spineless."
Find it: Origin of Symmetry (2001)

8. Falling Away With You
The softest, most tentative song on this list, Falling Away With You is the band's most intimate moment, with Matt Bellamy whispering his vocals over a snail's pace acoustic movement. It's completed by some of their finest lyrics too, "staying awake to chase a dream, tasting the air you're breathing in" and "all of the love we left behind, watching the flashbacks intertwine, memories I will never find" being particularly thoughtful highlights. One of just three tracks Muse have never played live, we can only hope for a concert debut in the near future.
Find it: Absolution (2004)

7. Exogenesis: Symphony
Exogenesis is Muse at their preposterous, absurd best; a twelve minute piece divided into three movements played by a 40-piece orchestra telling the story of humanity leaving earth to populate another planet. It's easy to dismiss as ludicrously bloated just by its name, but its excessive nature actually presents the band's most meticulous and complex composition influenced by artists as widespread as Chopin, Rachmaninov and Pink Floyd. A true spine tingle.
Find it: The Resistance (2009)

6. Butterflies and Hurricanes
The centrepiece of the classic Absolution, Butterflies and Hurricanes rifles through sections as varied as a massive rock chorus and a romantic piano interlude in a song often cited as among the band's greatest works. Butterflies and Hurricanes is in some ways a spiritual successor to the greater still Citizen Erased; phenomenally beautiful and complex in its musical movements and yet still catchy and exciting.
Find it: Absolution (2004)

5. Space Dementia
We enter the top five with a song of suitably epic proportions; with a title referring to a mental condition caused by long spells spent in outer space, Space Dementia never aimed to be anything less than gigantic. With hammered piano the band would later adapt for Ruled by Secrecy and twisting, distorted guitar melodies, Space Dementia is one of the finest examples of modern prog and is a true experience to hear for the first time.
Find it: Origin of Symmetry (2001)

4. Knights of Cydonia
A song as complex and instrumental as Space Dementia or Butterflies and Hurricanes, Knights of Cydonia was a change in direction for Muse's epics in that's it's composed almost entirely around distorted guitar riffs. Taking elements from Queen's I Want To Break Free, early use of synthesisers and even the Doctor Who theme tune, Knights... has become one of the band's signature songs; the brilliant acapella call of "no one's gonna take me alive, the time has come to make things right, you and I must fight for our rights, you and I must fight to survive" seemingly designed for stadiums while the headbanging riff that follows it is perhaps the group's most memorable.
Find it: Black Holes and Revelations (2006)

3. Plug in Baby
Our big three begins with one of THE greatest riffs of all time; Plug in Baby's shrieking guitar opening is surely the most iconic musical moment in Muse history. It's not a one trick pony either, it's a brilliantly tight and well crafted rock song, which is even more impressive when you consider that it was apparently recorded while the whole band were on hallucinogenic mushrooms. The band's most successful song when it was released as the lead single for Origin of Symmetry, the track has remained a true fan favourite and has been played at almost every Muse concert since.
Find it: Origin of Symmetry (2001)

2. Citizen Erased
The Muse-Radiohead comparisons are at their strongest by far on this legendary Origin of Symmetry cut, because Citizen Erased is, without a doubt, Muse's Paranoid Android. And while the similarities between the two are there to be seen; multiple movements, contrasting sections of phenomenal volume and slow, chordal progressions, Citizen Erased is very much a song of its own. Opening with an explosion of funk metal, the piece builds into a colossal synth-chorus followed by electric arpeggios, a pounding guitar solo and a tantalizing acoustic chord progression. Fitting so many musical elements into 7 minutes is no mean feat, but the real success of Citizen Erased is in managing to turn so many distinct sections into one complete, perfect piece. It's at the very least a true equal to Radiohead's classic OK Computer opus.
Find it: Origin of Symmetry (2001)

1. Stockholm Syndrome
With an opening riff that sounds like a terrifying cross-breed between The Prodigy and System of a Down, Stockholm Syndrome is a heavy metal explosion which instantly sets itself far apart from most of the band's songs. As its tectonic riff reaches its climax, there's a sudden transition into one of the band's most striking choruses, as the violent guitar is overshadowed by a soft, beautiful keyboard melody before the band rev the engines and kick into the riff once again. Stockholm Syndrome is a shot of pure adrenaline, a burst of energy which remains fixed in the memory long after it's five minutes of total power come to an end. And it's completed by the most monstrous and original breakdown of the group's career to close a song which can, truly, be called Muse's best. And of course, when you play the chorus backwards you'll hear Matt singing "please save the night wind and high above, I lost to love". It wouldn't be Muse without the occasional hidden message, would it?
Find it: Absolution (2004)

I put some time and thought into this, but I'm sure you all completely disagree. Shocked by the lack of Supermassive Black Hole, Uprising or Neutron Star Collision (just kidding)? Insulted by Plug in Baby not being top? Leave a comment here.

Humbug review: Subtle improvements

Clearly tired of the Sheffield-infused rock of their first two records, in 2009 the Arctic Monkeys decamped to Los Angeles and recruited Queens of the Stone Age legend Josh Homme as producer to record their third album, Humbug. An obvious departure from their earlier work, the record was met with mixed acclaim on its release, but five years on Humbug can be regarded as one of the band's finest moments; musically richer and lyrically more intelligent than either of their previous efforts.

For Humbug, the Monkeys ditched the infectious choruses and pop-esque hooks which dominated both Whatever People Say... and Favourite Worst Nightmare; There's no shout of "well I bet that you look good on the dancefloor", no "see you later innovator" or "Dorothy was right though", in fact the only thing that comes close is the melancholy wail of "your past times consisted of the strange, twisted and deranged" on lead single Crying Lightning. Similarly, the music is less catchy, often rapidly changing time signature to produce an almost disconcerting sound-certainly not hits built for the arena tours which came with the band's newfound fame. It's not necessarily a bad thing however, as despite being less catchy many of Humbug's tracks are simply better than those which preceded them. Equipped with a more impressive range of musical techniques and influences brought on by both Homme's wide experience and the Monkey's past songwriting efforts, songs like Secret Door merge Homme's slower, more considered style with the Monkey's traditionally louder and more violent elements to become more expressive and intelligent than their individual parts. It's not without its occasional dud, but by and large this coming together of two very different musical parties is exceptionally effective. It's not a total departure either; the distorted riffs are still very much alive, and the organ used on Pretty Visitors is an almost direct homage to the Favourite Worst Nightmare classic 505.

And with this new musical breadth and depth, it's unsurprising that frontman Alex Turner's lyrics were forced to adapt too. Abandoning the homespun observation of Whatever People Say and the more generic wordplay of Favourite Worst Nightmare resulted in some of the band's most poetic efforts to date, from Secret Door's "fools on parade cavort and carry on for waiting eyes" to Pretty Visitor's John Cooper Clarke inspired "what came first, the chicken or this dickhead"? The finest moment comes in the form of Cornerstone however, a haunting ballad dark in its story of tragically lost love and a victim totally unable to move on. Despite the more advanced musicianship and lyricism, its fair to say that there are less classic songs on Humbug than either of the previous albums, the tracks simply compliment each other to create an album that feels complete; Secret Door, Dance Little Liar and Cornerstone are possible to only songs which can be considered on par with the Monkey's finest.

Although its short on truly brilliant songs, Humbug's ten tracks fit together beautifully to create a record that is a subtle advancement on both the band's previous albums, it's a powerful but underappreciated third effort.

8/10

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not review: Sporadic genus from the Arctic Monkeys

As almost undoubtedly the most hyped record in British history, the Arctic Monkey's first album was drenched in rave reviews on its release in 2006 and swiftly became the fastest selling debut album in UK chart history, as well as harvesting a multitude of end-of-year awards. And despite the massively improved musical strength of the quartet's more recent releases, Whatever People Say I Am... retains a soul and style noticeably missing from the band's technically more accomplished records.

Far from today's arena tours and number one albums, Whatever People Say I Am... was written at a time when the Monkeys were still teenage clubbers whose tours rarely took them further than their native heartland of Sheffield. As such, the record's thirteen tracks lack the polish and experience exhibited on later releases, but are instead lyrically driven from direct observations of the culture of their home city. Despite this seeming enclosed concept, there's a remarkable level of variation in the styles and themes of the songs; tracks like I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor dissect the mentalities of partygoers in hails of power chords and shouted choruses, while the slower but deceptively catchy Mardy Bum considers the ever-relatable topic of domestic arguments with sharper lyricism, "I've seen your frown and it's like looking down the barrel of a gun and it goes off" providing a case in point. Elsewhere there's a tentative critique of warring music scenes on A Certain Romance and a poignant but witty discussion of prostitution in When The Sun Goes Down. The variety in lyrical themes is complimented by an impressive arsenal of musical techniques for such a young band, although almost every track becomes dominated by a single tectonic riff at one point or another, a subtle indication of the group's relative lack of songwriting experience. The record's constant references to the band's experiences of Sheffield's culture result in the creation of a homespun style often juxtaposed with the dark lyrical themes, a side of the band which unfortunately became more and more supressed as their music became more sleek and polished. It's not quite a concept album, but it does mark a high point in observational lyricism with frontman Alex Turner's lyrics occasionally sounding more like poems than songs, a feat again rarely achieved by the band after the release of their debut.

Of course, there's a double edged sword to this, as the musical similarity of many of the tracks results in some samey and rather unmemorable moments; if it wasn't for the lyrics, you might not realised the song had actually changed between The View From The Afternoon and I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor. Of course, albums where the songs seep into one mass of music have been done before to great effect, take System of a Down's Toxicity for instance, but the fact that the lyrical themes vary so dynamically from song to song by comparison means that this becomes a hindrance to the effect of listening to the record all the way through. And despite the hype, there are few truly original points on the album; the jarring power chord guitars could have been Franz Ferdinand's and the distorted and empathised vocals (a technique used liberally throughout the Monkey's career) is clearly lifted from the work of The Strokes. This does improve during the later stages of the album however, as the smash and grab hits of the first few songs give way to more intelligent and careful writing on Riot Van and When The Sun Goes Down, a single which, remarkably, managed the reach the top of the charts despite it's somewhat commercially unattractive themes of seediness and prostitution. This is all in preparation for the true high point of the album (and possibly the band's career) on the record's final track A Certain Romance. It's here that the sound of the whole album is condensed into a single moment of genius, a distorted riff fading into a tentative guitar melody eventually to be replaced by one of the record's loudest and most violent riffs, over which Turner sings cautious and uncertain lyrics about the futility of the different factions of the local scene.

Whatever People Say I Am...  is by no means a perfect album, nor is it the Monkey's best. It's songs are often far too similar, and the young band's lack of experience often shines through with a lack of musical depth. However, the homegrown lyrical explorations and moments of true brilliance make it surely one of the most impressive debuts of recent years.

8/10

AM review: The Arctic Monkeys at the peak of their powers

Although it’s hard to overstate the tremendous impact Sheffield rockers Arctic Monkeys have had on the British music scene in recent years, it’s also fair to say that until now they’ve failed to record an album truly worthy of classic status. Despite record breaking sales, each of their four previous efforts has possessed their fair shares of inconsistencies and weak links, preventing the quartet from hitting their full potential, at least in the eyes of the critics. But everything has changed with AM, a record so powerful and intelligent that it smashes the Monkey’s so called potential into pieces as one of the greatest albums of the past decade.

Despite AM’s minimalist analogue wavelength cover design, one of the record’s greatest strengths is seamlessly merging the old school rock n’ roll of albums like their debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not with more modern effects and styles. This is no more apparent than on opener and lead single Do I Wanna Know, as a singular, jarring riff builds into a crescendo chorus of power chords and soprano backing vocals. Lyrically it’s clever if not profound and is thematically similar to the Monkey’s previous work (love, sex etc), “being wondering if your heart’s still open and if so I wanna know what time it shuts” being one of the finer examples of frontman Alex Turner’s technique; by no means a modern Morrissey but undoubtedly one of the most inventive songwriters around today. Speaking of singing, Turner’s delivery on AM marks a great improvement in confidence, although the liberal use of wavering vocal effects occasionally appears to hold back his talents.

Another of AM’s strengths is in wearing its influences on its sleeve without becoming a homage rather than a piece of art in itself. NME magazine seems to be confusing Turner with David Bowie far too often these days, but the spaced out guitar licks of I Want It All and the dreamy developing piano part in No.1 Party Anthem feature more than a touch of The Thin White Duke circa Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, while Arabella’s tectonic start-stop riffs could have easily been taken from an early Black Sabbath record. Closing track I Wanna Be Yours is even audacious enough to rip its lyrics directly from legendary punk poet John Cooper Clarke. It’s fortunate that with all these musical references the songwriting is strong enough to prevent sections of AM from being shameless copies.  However the really wonderful thing about the album is that, like Nirvana’s Nevermind, there’s something for everyone in its 12 songs. R U Mine, with its crashing drums and Presley-esque drawl sounds like Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not crossed with 1950’s rock n’ roll, while No.1 Party Anthem’s piano driven ballad is akin to John Lennon’s Imagine or Bowie’s Lady Stardust and the brilliant heavy metalish blast that is Arabella is undoubtedly what Kerrang readers would have come up with if asked to design an indie band. With all these conflicting styles and influences it’s a wonder AM doesn’t become a confused mess of a record, but it’s superbly held together by the band’s stunning musicianship and Turner’s consistent, comforting voice.  

AM represents the Arctic Monkey’s at the peak of their powers, a band that have finally written a truly phenomenal album after 11 years of trying since their conception in 2002. Despite its occasional slips, AM can make you dance, sing and cry and is not only one of the best albums of 2013, but one of the strongest in recent memory.

9/10

Korn review: Metal's most intense album

Time has not been kind to nu metal. Despite wild popularity in its late 90's heyday, the subgenre is now remembered as an inferior rebound to the grunge scene, prompted by the suicide of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. As such, nu metal's biggest bands are often thought of today as copyists lacking in originality and imagination, but what's often forgotten is that some of the best albums in rock history were recorded by bands of this underappreciated genre; Deftones White Pony, Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory, and of course the greatest of them all: Korn's self-titled debut alum. Critically revered on its release twenty years ago, does the record today retain all of its brutality, originality and lyrical relevance?


Without even hearing a single note of music, it's obvious that Korn is not going to be easy on the ear. The now-iconic album sleeve displaying a young girl peering up at a tall, leering figure seen only in shadow instantly infers the dark undertones of the music within, as well as establishing an early theme of the loss of innocence. Opening with a tectonic scream of "are you ready", Korn quickly establishes the band's trademark sound of hip hop and rap elements merging with jarring metal riffs, creating a violent and uncompromising noise as early as first track Blind. Throughout the record, melodies are accompanied by low, never-ending bass riffs, resulting in an agonised and despairing sound  counterpointed by the album's lyrics. Singer Jonathan Davis describes Korn's songwriting as having been heavily influenced by his work on child autopsies, and this truly shines through on a number of overarching lyrical themes dwelling on topics as controversial as child abuse and mental illnesses. Combining this with skin crawling lyrical imagery at word level leads to songs which can be almost painful to listen to in their unflinching intensity and anger. Davis' vocal style only heightens this feeling, his remarkable switching between scream and wavering soprano giving a disturbing touch to many songs and becoming a totem for future metal singers including Slipknot's Corey Taylor.

 While it's easy for bands to create such heavy and intense sounds that it becomes almost white noise rather than music, Korn rarely takes that path because of how cleverly it's written. Despite it's unpleasant themes, it's lyrically superb, and brilliantly memorable riffs on songs like Blind and Divine suggest a young band full of ideas. The shocking juxtaposition between signwriting genius and horrifically-themed lyrics is no more apparent than on final track Daddy, an epic 9 minute hate anthem relating to Davis' experience of sexual abuse as a young child. Dark and focused melodies and riffs build to a stunning climax of Davis screaming wildly and bursting into anguished sobs alongside the album's most strikingly violent lyrical images.

20 years on, Korn remains one of the greatest and most intense metal of albums of all time, and was the inspiration for a new generation of bands including Sepultura, Machine Head and Slipknot. It's songwriting is undeniably brilliant and it's full of intelligent themes and meanings, and is a rare example of total and uncompromising focus in a heavy metal record.

9/10

Muse Live at Rome Olympic Stadium review: A missed opportunity

Muse are not a band known for their tact and restraint in concert; spectacular stage designs; special effects limited only by the group’s imagination and music of suitably epic proportions has given them the reputation of being one of the greatest and most consistent live acts in the world.  Combining that with the fact that last year’s summer stadium shows were without doubt the most ambitious gigs the Teignmouth trio have performed over a twenty year career should have been the recipe for a perfect live album, but it’s the little things that prevent Live at Rome Olympic Stadium from being a true classic.  

Like their previous live outing HAARP, the release is spread over two discs: a DVD featuring almost the entire 6^th July concert and a severely edited audio CD. The focus is clearly placed heavily on the DVD, which showcases the band completely on top of their game in front of a sold-out crowd of over 60,000 people. A wide and creative range of cameras are employed here to great effect; the film is visually stunning and noticeably better looking than HAARP. This is only improved by the stage production, with pyrotechnic explosions, enormous floating lightbulbs and intense use of strobes made all the more dramatic by the film’s visual strength. It’s bursting with great cinematic moments too, the colour scheme shifting from monochrome to glorious Technicolor as the band launch into Knights of Cydonia being particularly hair-raising. Where the film fails however is that it becomes more of a polished concert film of limited intimacy than a more simple representation of the show; camera angles change a little too frequently and cringeworthy shots of couples kissing are unfortunately present. This is coupled by a small number of mysterious omissions, The 2^nd Law: Unsustainable, with its colossal tin robot dancing across the stage is strangely missing, and the film also lacks debut album tear-jerker Unintended, an unhappy sign of Muse edging away from their fantastic early work. The inclusion of weaker material, such as Guiding Light, and the dominance of tracks from latest album The 2^nd Law makes the missing songs all the more obvious.

While the omitted tracks made only a small dent in the integrity of the DVD, they completely prevent the CD from being an authentic representation of the original concert. At just 13 songs long, the record should have focused on delivering the hits, but instead features a strange collection of new songs, weaker tracks and the occasional fan favourite. Almost half of the album comes from The 2^nd Law, and omissions including Plug In Baby, Time Is Running Out and Feeling Good are near unforgivable. The album misses so much of the concert that it becomes a group of songs rather than a real live album, and seems to be more of an advert for new material than a record for the fans. Despite this, the audio quality is superb and far better than that of HAARP, but you get the feeling that the CD could have been much, much more.

Packaged as extras are three songs recorded on the band’s North American arena tour, including the brilliant Stockholm Syndrome. However, the visual quality is worse than that of the Rome concert and the stage show itself is not as spectacular, making you wonder if it would have been better to release them as part of the Rome show (all three were performed).  A documentary entitled The Road is a five minute afterthought, a disappointment considering the excellent behind-the-scenes films featured on other modern live albums, such as Green Day’s Bullet in a Bible.

While Live at Rome Olympic Stadium is a great live document if you’re a Muse aficionado, for anyone else HAARP, with its hit-coated CD and more momentous concert (the band being the first to sell out the new Wembley stadium) is a better live starting point. The film has a sublime quality and is full of spine tingling moments, but missing tracks on the movie and CD as well as poor extras prevent Live at Rome Olympic Stadium from being the classic it deserved to be.

7/10

 

Drenge review: (Just over) a half hour of power

In a year dominated by mega-albums from music’s big names, the self titled debut album by Derbyshire duo Drenge may have slipped under your radar. Despite this, Drenge is a strikingly confident album which stands tall against the likes of The Arctic Monkey’s AM and Biffy Clyro’s Opposites as one of the best records of 2013.

The moment you hear the name, it’s obvious that Drenge is not going to be easy on the ear. And as soon as songs like I Wanna Break You In Half storm out of your CD player like a high speed train on steroids, the album’s tectonic heaviness seizes you and rarely loosens its grip for just over half an hour. The music is often phenomenally heavy for a band that lacks a bass player and features only one guitar, but the melodic strength favoured by other notable two-pieces such as The White Stripes can still be heard amongst the shattering riffs. The stripped down, no nonsense ethic of the band harks back to the early 90s grunge scene, and the lack of lyrical compromise, with themes of animal cruelty and violence, links to scene leaders Nirvana circa third album In Utero. Nirvana is clearly a huge influence, the loud-then-quiet dynamic honed by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain is widely used, in addition to the fuzzy power chord riffs the band employed to such great effect on the iconic Nevermind. Despite the influence, the music rarely feels derived, with singer and guitarist Eoin Loveless (a remarkably appropriate, and genuine name) providing a unique vocal style and younger brother Rory giving a pounding, explosive performance on drums.     

Despite its uncompromising heaviness, Drenge features intelligent, thematic lyrical content dealing brutally with isolation, suppressed anger and a distain for emotion, particularly love. Indeed, this distain becomes such a theme that the final words of closer Fuckabout: “I don’t give a fuck about people in love/they don’t piss me off they just make me give up”, perfectly link to the opener People In Love Make Me Feel Yuck, bringing the record full circle in a shockingly bleak twist. Fuckabout is actually the antithesis of its title; the only point when the piece really slows down in a raw, acoustic number containing some of the most striking lyrics written all year. It’s by no means the only musical highlight though; 8 minute stomper Let’s Pretend and the brilliantly violent I Wanna Break You In Half are two of the year’s best tracks.

It’s always a shame when excellent albums from smaller bands fail to attract the attention they deserve, and no more so than with Drenge. It’s a brilliantly original and brutal album, featuring some of the best riffs and lyrics written by any band this year. It’s certainly a challenger to Biffy Clyro’s Opposites as my album of the year, and I’ve no doubt that we’ll be seeing a lot more of the brothers Loveless in the near future.

9/10

Strangeways Here We Come review: Is The Smith's final album their greatest work?

Following The Queen is Dead, without a doubt one of the best albums of all time, was always going be a tough job for Manchester quintet The Smiths. Strangeways Here We Come, their fourth and final record released in 1987, was a darker, more subtle piece of music, dividing critics but selling millions. Whether it ended The Smith’s short career with their best album is a debate which continues today, but there’s no doubt that Strangeways Here We Come features some of the best musical moments of the 1980’s.

By the time Strangeways Here We Come was released, The Smith’s had split up after years of tension between legendary singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. But while you might expect this posthumous album to leak with the sound of a band falling apart, the record mysteriously represents The Smith’s at their most musically united. The songs are tight and generally short, several clocking in at less than three minutes long, creating a quick and fast-paced experience.  Musically this is the band at their best, with Morrissey’s dark lyrics and Marr’s soft, harmless music violently clashing in principle but creating a deep, rich sound which has been regularly imitated but never equalled.  This is particularly obvious on the album’s lead single, Girlfriend in a Coma, but it appears on the vast majority of the ten tracks in a less blatant form. The sardonic subtlety in Morrissey’s lyrics leads to some of the most striking moments of The Smith’s career, as “I still love you only slightly less than I used to” on Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before quietly mocking traditional ballads, and “If you should die I may feel slightly sad but I won’t cry” on Unhappy Birthday feeling as shocking and surprising as any expletive driven stanza from your run-off-the-mill heavy metal band.

This is not a perfect album however; it may be lyrically stunning but it lacks the charisma and variety that made The Queen is Dead so fantastic. The tension between music and lyrics is overused and becomes predictable in the record’s later stages, making the music less memorable and captivating. It also lacks the range of themes and styles which filled The Queen is Dead, and the overbearingly morbid lyrics and less interesting guitar parts make the album rather samey and forgettable by comparison to their previous effort.

Strangeways Here We Come is still an excellent record with plenty of great moments and some of the best lyrics ever penned. However, its limited themes and musical diversity prevent it from becoming the iconic classic that The Queen is Dead was.

7/10

The Queen Is Dead review: Is The Smith's greatest record the best album of all time?

Despite having broken up 26 years ago, there’s been a lot of talk about The Smiths over the past few weeks, largely due to the publication of iconic singer Morrissey’s new book Autobiography. The controversy and publicity surrounding the book might have led another Smiths related event to pass you by: NME ranked their seminal third album The Queen Is Dead as the greatest record of all time. But was the notoriously Morrissey-loving magazine being too nostalgic; hasn’t anything topped that staggering piece of alternative rock in the 27 years since its release in 1986?

The Queen Is Dead is an album of juxtapositions, flowing seamlessly from the pop silliness of a song like Frankly Mr. Shankly to lyrical darkness to rival Radiohead. This boils down to a set of 10 stunningly varied songs, creating an album that is, in many senses, bizarre. Another thing the Smiths excelled at during this period was satire, with the record mocking everything from religion to the press and, inevitably, royalty. This parody provides some of the finest lyrical moments of the group’s short career, with “Charles don’t you ever crave to appear on the front of the Daily Mail, dressed in your mother’s bridal veil” being a particular favourite.

So aside from princes cavorting in drag on the cover of national rags, what more does the album have to offer? Musically, it’s the Smith’s finest hour, the violent drums and bombastic bass lines of songs like The Queen Is Dead (Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty) contrasting with the subdued brilliance of Cemetery Gates to showcase a band who leading the indie-rock pack. Morrissey’s lyrics are regularly dark to the point of hopelessness, surely most so on penultimate track The Light That Never Goes Out, where he sings “if a double-decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die.” This turns from suicidal mania to pioneering musical technique when combined by the sweet and soft synthesisers of Marr’s music, an idea the band perfected on Girlfriend In A Coma on their fourth and final album Strangeways, Here We Come, in which Morrissey discusses his dying partner over a bubblegum melody.

The Queen Is Dead is a timeless album, its satire remaining sharp and its musicianship staying near unchallenged 27 years on. It’s almost undeniably the Smith’s best record, and while the greatest album of all time tag could be strapped to hundreds of others, The Queen Is Dead is undoubtedly a worthy choice.

10/10

What Did You Expect From The Vaccines review: Pure pop-rock fun

As the days get colder and the nights draw in, it’s sometimes nice to take your mind of the chilly outdoors with simple, happy music. And that’s why we need more bands like The Vaccines, whose debut album What Did You Expect From The Vaccines is not only jolly enough to thaw a snow covered football pitch but is also musically excellent. With strong beats and fuzzy power chords, this is as good an album as any for a cold, wet winter.


Clocking in at just over half an hour long, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines is a short album full of short songs. It’s therefore remarkable that most of it is extremely memorable, largely due to the band’s tremendous overreliance on colossal choruses. Indeed, the album’s most summery and simple song Nørgaarad repeats its “her mind’s made up she don’t wanna go steady/she’s only seventeen so she’s probably not ready” leading line four times in its 100 seconds, making use of just 3 chords in the process!

The Vaccines create a brash, unapologetic sound with Árni Árnason’s prominent bass lines merging with Pete Robertson’s powerful drumming, which helps to keep most of the songs so simple and joyful.  Justin Hayward-Young’s vocals are another matter however, as he regularly creates a darker undercurrent to songs like Post-Breakup Sex with murky lyrics and singing which sounds a little quieter in the mix than you would expect.

However, the album is best defined by songs like If You Wanna; short, sweet and featuring an undeniably overmilked chorus. It’s not complex, inventive or even particularly original, but it is great fun, and sometimes that’s all that’s needed.

6/10

  

ILL Manors Review: Dark politics from Britain's best rapper

Protest music is dying. Despite the myriad of political conflicts and issues occurring all around the world, musicians are becoming increasing reliant of anecdotal lyrics, refusing to take an interest of the world revolving around them. It’s particularly uncommon that rap, forever the genre of dull artists moaning about their daily lives, comes up with an outspokenly political album. And you’d expect it even less of Ben Drew, whose first record Who Needs Action When You Got Words was an expletive-ridden, bratty affair and whose second, The Defamation of Strickland Banks, was essentially a soul album. But remarkably, Drew (commonalty known as Plan B), has actually recorded a third record full of dark political undertones. And, even more remarkably, it’s superb.

Inspired by Drew’s own experiences of growing up on a violent London council estate Ill Manors weaves a number of musically tabooed themes into its eleven tracks. Ranging from drug culture and poverty to prostitution and gang warfare, you’re unlikely to find many uplifting moments on Ill Manors. Like Radiohead’s OK Computer, the ostentatious darkness of songs like Drug Dealer and Pity the Plight make Ill Manors a decidedly uncomfortable album to listen to on first hearing. Listening to the record for the first time, lyrics including and if we see any rich kids on the way/we’ll make them wish they stayed inside on title track Ill Manors present the image of simple thugishness, but examine lines in the same song like keep on believing what you read in the papers/council estate kids, scum of the earth and you’ll notice Drew already challenging modern perceptions of youth culture.

Drew’s lyrics have improved immeasurably since his humble beginnings on his 2006 debut, and writing about topics he clearly feels strongly about bring out the best in his words. As he’d likely struggle to hold an album as ambitious as Ill Manors together on his own, he’s aided by an impressive cast of featured artists including Labrinth and legendary punk poet John Cooper Clarke. While this does add a range to the tracks, the album still feels oppressively dark; it’s certainly not easy listening. Interspersing the music with dialogue from the Drew directed film of the same name helps the album to tell a story in its songs, but it also makes the tracks still darker, with the song Pity the Plight being particularly shocking in this respect.

Even so, Drew is musically on top of his game throughout the record, but the overarching dark atmosphere of the album make it difficult to listen too without having to take a break in favour of hearing something more jolly. It’s still probably Plan B’s best record yet, and his stance against society’s treatment of the disadvantage youth is commendable, but Ill Manors is a case of a little too much.

OK Computer: The finest hour of rock's most depressed?

Ok Computer is not an easy album to review. After the successes of their first two albums, Pablo Honey and The Bends, Radiohead set out to do something totally different with this iconic third album. Steering away from the polished rock songs such as Creep, Just and Planet Telex that dominated their previous efforts, the Oxfordshire group created a polylayered collection of songs about as far from a radio friendly record as it's possible to be. Of course, it still sold millions of copies. And of course, it's still stunning.

OK Computer is the moment that Radiohead took on their status as rock's most depressed band, and you can see why from a quick glance at the cover. An abstract mix of roads, stick figures and numbers held together by freezing colours doesn't give the image of a cheerful album, and barely hidden messages such as "we hope you choke" only reinforce this feeling. Simply looking down the track list continues the impression the band hoped to give, with song titles including Paranoid Android and Climbing up the Walls staying in keeping with the album's dismal-yet-brilliant artwork. And when you stick the disc in the CD player, your nagging suspicion that this might just be the darkest piece of music you've ever come across is dramatically confirmed.

This is not an album that you listen to once before throwing in a box or on a shelf; OK Computer demands to be heard again and again and again before one can truly understand it's majesty. It wasn't until I'd listened to the whole thing six or seven times before I felt in a position to give it a fair review, it's just too confusing on first hearing. On their own, songs like the manically multi-structured Paranoid Android or the fantastic Karma Police sound great, but when they're inserted into the finished product they take on a whole new meaning, it's one of those rare records that has to be listened to all the way through to be properly enjoyed.

So let's talk a bit about the music itself. As I've said before, Radiohead went out of their way to challenge the impression that fans of the first two albums had of the band. It's fair to say that not one of the songs on OK Computer would fit into The Bends without sounding totally out of place. But what does it actually sound like? The album commands a phenomenal wealth of different musical techniques; songs like Paranoid Android regularly change, key, tempo and lyrical subject matter without skipping a beat, while synthesisers and sampling plays a massively important role in some of the album's later tracks. Electronic and more traditional styles merge brilliantly on almost all the songs, and lyrically this is Radiohead at their most bleak and surreal, with such gems as "unborn chicken voices in my head" providing an image of a band at their most bizarre. One aspect unites OK Computer: it is all phenomenally depressing. Powerfully, remarkably depressing. Not one upbeat or uplifting melody is to be found in any song here, it's an incredibly dark album. Just listen to Exit Music (for a Film) and you'll get the picture. However, rather than making the record impossible to listen to, this theme instead unites the music, sublimely tying OK Computer's tracklist together. 

So OK Computer is Radiohead's darkest, and possibly strongest album to date, but as I write this review I'm not listening to it. After several days of playing the record on repeat, I'm taking a break and listening to The Stranglers, a band so grotesquely mindless that even The Sex Pistols would have scoffed. Yes, OK Computer is brilliant, one of the greatest albums ever made, a legendary musical achievement. But you can have too much of a good thing.

10/10