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Archive for November, 2009

“The Futureheads” are a four-piece English post-punk revival band from Sunderland. Their unique band name, “The Futureheads” comes from one of The Flaming Lips record called “Hit To Death In The Future Head”. The Futureheads consist of Barry Hyde (Vocals and Guitar), David Craig (Bass and Backing Vocals, also known as Jaff), Ross Millard (Guitar and Backing Vocals) and Dave Hyde (Drums and Backing Vocals, younger brother of Dave and also replaced former member of The Futureheads, Peter Brewis). And according to Channel 4’s 4 Music, Barry Hyde revealed that Dave was given a guitar as a gift by their parents when they were young. However, Barry took the guitar away from Dave to learn his first strum on the guitar. As a result, Dave was left with nothing, he had to take up the drums.

This Is Not The World is really an album that keeps the tempo going, never in a second This Is Not The World slow the tempo down. It’s full of energy, handclaps, guitar, drums and everything that keeps you going and rocking to This Is Not The World. It’s very hype!

This Is Not The World by The Futureheads launched its opening with the groovy and anthemic “The Beginning of The Twist”. Barry goes, “It’s time to wake up, it’s time to change, let’s get it started… I can feel it, i conceal it, i can feel it coming, the beginning of the twist…” From the lyrics, i can tell that The Futureheads are ready for a new chapter in their life, a new beginning, a new year and a wholelot of new troubles to overcome. There’s no space to breath in The Beginning of The Twist, only space to groove along with it and to enjoy it! Crazy opener!

“Walking Backwards” is another anthemic indie rock song. “Walking backwards, with nothing to say, walking backwards, so get out of the way…” As if The Futureheads wish they could turn back the times and undo the things that they did. Similarly to the first track, this song is full of non-stop guitar riffing, drums pounding, bass playing. Two rockable songs in a row that will definitely get you up and rock along. No doubt, if you’re going to a gig, you are looking forward to have a good time. Well, you can rock, dance, groove and sing with Walking Backwards.

The third track off This Is Not The World is called “Think Tonight”. Yet again, it doesn’t slow the tempo down, it builds your tempo further up and keep yours momentum going. “You will never find anyone, to come along and take you by surprise, because you’ve had too much to think tonight”, Barry yells and sings at the chorus. Think Tonight is more of a complicated yet romantic indie punk rock song. If you pay attention to the lyrics, you’ll know what The Futureheads are trying to express. This song is all about a girl…

Wow, “Radio Heart” starts with some infectious drum beats that you already knew at the moment, this song is going to be brilliant! And voila, it gets better at the chorus. The verses are catchy in a way, guitar and bass playing at the same times. When Barry sings, “Go with the radio heart…” A faint distance of “wooo wooo” can be heard. It sounds like some special instrument, or is it the rest of The Futureheads are making that voices or sound? One thing is for sure, the vocals are harmonized in Radio Heart! Brilliant!

“This Is Not the World” has a non-stop guitar plucking and bass playing sound to it, reminding me of Blink 182. It can be clearly heard during the verses, as if The Futureheads are not tired of playing it. Which is a good thing, as i don’t want the tempo to be slowed down, i’m enjoying it. So far so good! “This is not the world, this is not the end, this is not a crime…” Great Anthem!

Another amazing track called “Sale of the Century”. From the beginning, the guitar already impressed me. So what do i do? I just sit back, relax and let Sale of the Century rock me in my rocked chair. Up till the sixth track of the album, This Is Not The World shows no signs of slowing down. It just keeps on rocking us, the listeners and the audience. Barry’s voice in this track sounds sarcastic, especially during the verses. When it comes to the chorus, the rest of The Futureheads backed Barry up with, “ah ah ah…” Sale of the Century is full of loud guitars, drums and bass. I find loud is The Futureheads’ cup of tea.

“Hard to Bear” is another anthemic track from The Futureheads. The starting with the drums rolling, it sounds like a song used in a march. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very good song. “Hard to bear… Difficult to watch… Hard not to care… When it means so much…” It’s about a guy who has just broken up with his girlfriend, therefore it’s hard to bear. However, I can imagine a group of armies marching together and singing to this track. Hm, it can even be edited, and re-composed to a patriotic anthem. Just a suggestion..

I like how “Work Is Never Done” begins. The bass is kind of cute, and the guitar keeps playing. From start to finish, the music is brilliant! It’s about the stress and pressure of working in the city, by the end of the day, whatever stress and pressure we have gone through, our work has yet to be done. And this time, it’s Ross who takes the lead. What a turn, perhaps Barry needs a break after all of the yelling and screaming. “The city’s getting bigger, but everybody slowly moves away, your accent gets thicker, the blood is getting thinner everyday…” Sounds scary?

“Broke Up the Time” starts off with a bang. This track sounds like it has two parts. The verse and the chorus, everytime The Futureheads reaches the chorus, the music changes, great playing by them. They make it looks so easy. “We broke up the time and put the pieces in a different order…” Whenever in chorus, Barry sounds as if he has no time to breath. It’s such a long sentence to sing out, but the music made him. And we all enjoy it.

“Everything’s Changing Today” is catchy in its own way. When it comes to the chorus, “Everything’s changing today, getting further and further away…” You can hear the background voices, where they go like the sounds of crows. Really! It’s not a bad thing, it’s something great if you can have some varieties to your music. What to expect from this track? It’s telling the story about a girl who always does the same things everyday, who never wants to change… Until today… The lyrics are hard to understand, but the music is still great.

“Sleet” is another track that reminds me of Blink 182 at the beginning. With some little but non-stop pluck-playing of the guitar throughout the track. It’s kinda cute whenever The Futureheads do that. When the chorus comes, the guitar plays a big role in making this a catchy song. “Let’s go to sleep, but let’s not go to bed..” Hm, some hidden meaning behind it. This song is cute, at times, you will enjoy its start stop playing of music.

“See What You Want” is the last track on This Is Not The World. It’s not a bad way and song to end the album as well. After a few listens, this song has the potential to be a hit and an anthem. We can go, “See what you want to see, but don’t reflect what you can’t see in me..” I like the way The Futureheads played the guitar throughour this whole, especially the one that really stands out, you know what i mean when you listen to See What You Want. It’s like plucking just a single string of a guitar. It goes, “doiiinnngg..”. It’s funny yet so good to listen to.

Rating: If i can only choose one good thing to say about This Is Not The World by The Futureheads, i would definitely say the energy. You see from start to finish, there wasn’t a chance for me to rest and close my eyes. As soon as one track is finished, the track that follows next kept me up again. If you found yourself sleepy but aren’t able to go to bed due to work or other reasons, please listen to This Is Not The World. You’d be glad that you have made a wise decision. Compared to The Futureheads’ last album, News and Tributes. This Is Not The World showcased The Futureheads at their best, playing raw post-punk revival and writing some really catchy songs along the way. You will not find varieties in This Is Not The World, it’s a very consistent album that will please fans of The Futureheads. No doubt about that! I would be stupid if i were to say i’m not enjoying This Is Not The World. It’s truly loud and groovy and anthemic! What else more! I truly rate it 7.3 out of 10.

Stand-Out Tracks (My Picks): Radio Heart, Work Is Never Done, See What You Want, Sale of the Century and Walking Backwards.

Cheers!

Darren Tan

Indiesurf.com

“Vampire Weekend” are an American four-piece indie band from New York that was formed in 2006. There are four members in Vampire Weekend, which include Ezra Koenig (Lead Vocal and Guitar), Rostam Batmanglij (Guitar, Keyboard and Backing Vocal), Chris Tomson (Drums and Backing Vocal) and Chris Baio (Bass and Backing Vocal). Vampire Weekend’s music genre are mostly indie pop and a little bit of African music influence, which is called Afro-pop. It’s very obvious in their music that they don’t belong to any rock genre. Many people would have wondered how they have decided on their band being called Vampire Weekend, it’s a question to be answered. According to LimeWire Music Blog, Vampire Weekend was derived from one of Ezra’s amateur films, which was also of the same name. You’ve guessed it.

Vampire Weekend is something you don’t hear everyday. If you’re looking for something fresh, something friendly to the ears, something cute, then you’re at the right place. You’ll love Vampire Weekend.

Vampire Weekend is really cute at “Mansard Roof”. Some non-stop drum beats, clever percussion, catchy and cute guitar hooks. There were some moments that their guitar playing styles reminded me of The Strokes. Mansard Roof is a very short song, but it will definitely haunt you in a good way. After listening it for the first time, i always i always hit “previous” button. Reason? Mansard Roof is suitable for anyone at anytime.

“Oxford Comma” has a catchy and steady drum beats to it. It’s a song that will surely but slowly grow into you. And what i found out was that, this song is actually a very good song to sing along. Imagine you’re having a karaoke session with your friend, Oxford Comma would definitely be a darling for anyone to sing. It’s not a fast track where anyone couldn’t catch their breath when singing, and it’s not those tracks that require high pitching voices. During the break of this song, the guitar solo was cute yet great. I found myself smiling whenever that part comes along. “Lil’ Jon, he always tells the truth..” I’m having Vampire Weekend Comma.

“A-Punk” is a fast track. The guitar on this track is fast and definitely piercing. I can’t really imagine myself playing guitar on A-Punk. It’s like you couldn’t stop even for a second! There was an instrument that sounded like a flute, or even organ, or even some DJ equipments everytime Ezra went, “Look outside at the raincoats coming, say OH…” in a repetition manner. And it’s really good. From the lyrics, i’m guessing that Vampire Weekend are singing about a girl whose lover is no longer around. A cute and fast track which can’t be missed.

“Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” is somewhat similar to Oxford Comma. It started off slow and soft, later on when it picked up the tempo. It’s not loud, just that it sounds much fuller in its music. If you listen carefully, you’d realize the numerous instruments being played in this song. But Vampire Weekend just made it sound so simple, and so good to listen too. Being not so familiar with the African sound and don’t really know how it sounds like. Somehow, i can feel that this song has the African influence mixed with the Western Modern music, making it one of the memorable tracks on Vampire Weekend. Oh you know the part that i like? It’s when Ezra sang in the chorus, “But this feels so unnatural, Peter Gabriel too..” I love it even more when Ezra did it twice. And oh ya, the cello in Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa would sound better even if compared to a bass. Yet again, everyone would definitely love this track, from young to old, girls to boys. Magnificent! The ending part where you’d find the whole Vampire Weekend moaning in a melody-like voices and howls, it’s simply too good!

“M79″ got me thinking that this would be a really great rock tune. However i was proved wrong, not only it was not a rock song. It was a track with really cute music that leveraged on the instruments like violin and violin, which would normally be seen or heard in an orchestra performance. But this time, you have it in Vampire Weekend. It’s really amazing to see a four-piece indie band from New York capable of writing and producing such instant hit and classic. Just imagine playing this track in a prom, i think the crowd would appreciate that the fact M79 is neither a rock song nor love song. It’s just a fun song with really good music for everyone to enjoy. I can’t help myself but imagining what would it be like to have M79 included in The Sound of The Music or even Mary Poppin. Definitely a song that will be remembered for a long long time. Oh ya, even my parents find M79 gorgeous!

“Campus” is another really catchy song with some clever lyrics. The bass keeps repeating in the verses and when it comes to the chorus, “How am I supposed to pretend, i never want to see you again, how am I supposed to pretend, i never want to see you again…” The guitar playing style which really resembles The Strokes’, was on again. But this time is louder than those of Mansard Root. Not only that, it has some electronic elements to it which made it stand out as well. The fact that i like this song is that i find it really has some good music going on and it really blend in well with the singing.

“Bryn” started off with some really high pitched guitar sounds accompanied with steady drum beats. The longer i got into Bryn, the more i love Bryn. Throughout the whole track, the guitar can only be heard after both verses. And there were some instruments being played in the background in a constant note and key, my guess would be an organ. Somehow, i don’t know why, but it keeps bugging me to think that the sound of the guitar found in Bryn is similar to the sound of a Bagpipe.

Vampire Weekend continued with “One (Blake’s Got a New Face)”. This track has some disco/club feel with it. The drum beats on this track is somewhat like those you’d hear in a march. Sound kind of patriotic. The real thing is that when listening to this song, my mind tells me as if i were in a club or disco, just chilling and dancing. The rest of the Vampire Weekend did a good job as well where they did a backup vocal whenever Ezra sings at the chorus, “Blake’s got a new face..” But hey, at times i really do sing “Blake’s got a new face” in the shower, in my bedroom or even driving. Such a powerful phrase!

“I Stand Corrected” has a fairy tale feel-like at the beginning and it started slow. And honestly, it sounded like “Little House of Savages” by The Walkmen. The beginning of these both songs are so similar. Overall, it sounded like a sad song. The tempo began to pick up when the chorus came in, “I stand corrected..” The break has a really sad sound to it when Ezra went, “Lord knows I haven’t tried, i’ll take my stand, one last time, forget the protocol, i’ll take your hand, right in mine.” Accompanied by the violin, i can feel the sadness in this this song. One of the songs that let me feel in.

Before the last track, “Walcott” has some really strong and fast piano going on. And no, this is not the player of the football club, Arsenal. It has got nothing to do with Theo Walcott. It’s just a song named Walcott. From the lyrics, i can tell that Ezra is singing about a desperate boy named Walcott who is desperately wanting to get out of Cape Cod, or rather, hoping to get out of Cape Cod. There are some evil lyrics to be found in Walcott, “The Lobster’s Claw is sharp as knives, evil feasts on human lives, the Holy Roman Empire roots for you.” Sound evil enough? One of Vampire Weekend’s strengths is definitely their creativity!

The normal Vampire Weekend album ends with “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance”. It’s a rather slow and catchy track and you can hear the drums echo here and there throughout the whole track, as mentioned earlier. It’s really not that bad, and most people would not have noticed it. The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance has a slow but catchy bass at the beginning. I like the guitar, it sounded sloppy and lazy. Just nicely suit the tempo of this track. Organ and violin can also be heard here and there, making this song more than just great. The last 1:48 minutes was pure instrumental, and need i say more? It’s perfectly played and arranged! Especially the violin.

Rating: Vamipre Weekend is definitely a band to watch out for in the years to come. They are one of the few bands that created and added new sound to their music. Compared to those being played on the radio and even TV, Vampire Weeked stand out in miles. Everything sounded fresh on Vampire Weekend. From start to finish, they were just having fun and playing some really awesome and amazing tunes. Before this, i thought they were just another indie band with nothing new to offer, but they proved me wrong, big time. It’s really very seldom that we stumble upon such band. As musicians, they really have awed me from head to toe. And as listener myself, it’s really an once in a blue moon occasion where i listened to something that i have never listened to before in my circle of genre. However, the only thing that is preventing Vampire Weekend from being a perfect album is that they lack a hit anthem. Franz Ferdinand had their hit anthem when they released their debut, it was called “Take Me Out. Arctic Monkey’s very own anthem from their debut was “A Certain Romance”. But that’s not going to stop me from looking forward to listen to Vampire Weekend every morning upon waking up from my bed. You might say that i’m crazy, but i’d still listen to Vampire Weekend no matter what, everyday. An amazing band that added new music influence from other continent to their music, definitely one of the best album in 2008. 8.5 out of 10 may be too high of a rating, but honestly, they deserve more.

Stand-Out Tracks (My Picks): Mansard Roof, Oxford Comma, A-Punk, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, M79, Campus, Bryn, One (Blake’s Got A New Face), Walcott and The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance.

Cheers!

Darren Tan

Indiesurf.com

Yes released their most recent album entitled Yes Album.

It’s a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I’m more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it’s own.

Yes Album has a pleasantly varied, mix of 9 tracks that are very well written and brilliantly performed songs by these clearly superb musicians. Most of the songs display a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are their own personal experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, and the pain of failed relationships can certainly be heard.

I’m of the opinion that Yes Album is certainly some of this groups best work in a few years. A totally enjoyable CD and an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up because it’s a collection that even the casual Rock fan can appreciate and enjoy.

While this entire album is really very good the truly standout tunes are track 3 – Starship Trooper: Life Seeker, track 4 – I’ve Seen All Good People: Your Move / All Good People, and track 9 – Clap.

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – Yours Is No Disgrace. This is a great track!

Yes Album Release Notes:

Yes originally released Yes Album on January 14, 2003 on the Elektra Entertainment label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Yours Is No Disgrace 2. Clap 3. Starship Trooper: Life Seeker / Disillusion / Wurm 4. I’ve Seen All Good People: Your Move / All Good People 5. Venture, A 6. Perpetual Change 7. Your Move – (single version) 8. Starship Trooper: Life Seeker – (single version) 9. Clap – (previously unreleased, studio version)

Yes: Jon Anderson (vocals, percussion); Steve Howe (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); Tony Kaye (piano, organ, Moog synthesizer); Chris Squire (bass instrument, background vocals); Bill Bruford (drums, percussion).

Additional personnel: Colin Goldring (recorder).

Recording information: Advision Studios, London, England (1970).