Cheatahs - Cheatahs

NB: We're aware this has been out a month, but some things need shouting about okay?

In an age that we’re told what to listen to by Capital Radio pushing their YouTube ads of Will.I.Am and The Wanted at us all, it can be refreshing, even for an audience with an increasingly pop taste to hear something that’s both nostalgic and forward thinking in terms of modern rock and roll.

Of course, rock and roll these days is sold to us on the front cover of the NME as Alex Turner’s quiffed head stares deeply into our souls, as he queries those who gave his band the Brits limelight and those who, en masse bought tickets to a huge Finsbury Park show alike “R U Mine?” Most of us look back with moderate tentativeness, before admitting that yes, we probably are. For bands like Artcic Monkeys, Foals and Kasabian, it’s been a lucky ride at times. Kasabian themselves admitted that their signing and huge promotional drive felt like being the last band to jump on the lifeboats to success whilst Sheffield and Oxford’s finest used the new-fangled media that was MySpace and relentless efforts of playing solid shows to make it off the sinking ship that we call the music industry. Once in a while, bands like The Vaccines, Mumford & Sons and The1975 are allowed to swim to the safety of Brixton Academy and beyond, but by that point, they’re just pop bands for those living in the aftermath of Generation X.

Now, it’s not like a reviewer is going to tell you that, amongst the colossal pile of what’s often referred to as landfill, Cheatahs are the one band you can count on; but when you take a live show as energetic as the London band’s (see aforementioned The Vaccines mixed with the relaxed anarchy of MBV) and mix it with the kind of sounds that we hear from slightly grimier success stories (see Blood Red Shoes and Drenge) of recent times; it can be accepted of you to vanish into a pile of fuzz pedals and declare your Topshop-purchased Nirvana t-shirt to be part of your gateway down the slippery slope to the last track of  this, Cheatahs debut and eponymous record.

Perfect? Far from it. The production possibly leaves out more edge than you’d desire from a record of such distortion to do whilst lyrically, there’s not so much as a whisper of poetry from the majority. Of course, it’s difficult to demand from shoegaze-influenced modern-rock, but if Sonic Youth could occasionally touch the heartstrings, you’d like an inkling of it from this record. It, after all, is a debut; something pained over through teenage years of angst and bad decisions.

This then, is the start. Lord only knows what it’s the start of, but for Cheatahs, let’s hope it’s the start of something that lasts. When you can centre a record around two singles (The Swan and Cut the Grass) that don’t even sound similar, the sky can be the limit. Here’s hoping there’s another raft on its way that will pick up these feline rule-breakers.

7.9/10

Braden Fletcher

Crywank - Tomorrow is Nearly Yesterday and Every Day is Stupid

James ‘Crywank’ Clayton is on his third record. He’s a DIY artist from Manchester and he’s written some of the most honest and frankly oft self-depreciating music of the last decade. Of course, in that time, Frightened Rabbit released Midnight Organ Fight, The National became a huge force and The Antlers became one of the cult bands of the new-sad revolution that saw us creased up into our own pillows in a way that ‘emo’ had only just seen us leave; but Crywank emerged in the anti-folk side of the spectrum, completely opposite the fictional creations of Laura Marling’s critically acclaimed records.

That’s not to say he’s not had some success on the way though and Tomorrow is Nearly Yesterday and Every Day is Stupid, his third record has proven to be Bandcamp’s #1 selling record of the week just finished, at the price of just £1 (or more).

The music itself hasn’t changed much aside from appearing to gain some production value, if not a lot. The opening lyrics of “Everyone I love is gonna die and I will die as well” mixed with Crywank’s trademark acoustic guitar is now joined by the tapping of a wooden drum box and mild reverberation on James’ vocals.  It feels like nothing’s new here, but at the same time, James’ time as an artist has led him down a slightly more fluid path of songsmanship, making TiNY a much easier listen, even through track two’s Song For a Guilty Sadist which needs little description.

Overall, the record shows growth; from an artist that both revels in borderline juvenile emotions in a genre that’s never attempted to be progressive, TiNY… is a sign of maturity and for that, it should be lauded. Crywank is a shining example of why we so desperately need Bandcamp as a platform, even if he’s the most self depreciating artist we’ll listen to all year.

8

Braden Fletcher

Sebastian Grainger – Yours To Discover

Believe it or not, there was once a time before The Ting Tings made two-piece bands a must for every major label roster. Now they’re ten a penny. Not all bad, but they are appearing in record numbers. The recent increase in popularity has probably got something to do with Japandroids ‘Album Of The Year 2012’ and the upsurge of positive exposure that soon followed.
However, back in the early 2000s, whilst Anastasia was explaining that she’s ‘Not That Kind Of Girl’ and we all wished Crazy Town had stayed in their cocoon, a Toronto-based noise punk band were starting to emerge that would ignite the upsurge of the duo.

Death From Above (the 1979 was added later) came and went faster than one of their furiously fuzzy riffs, and in the blink of an eye, with only one incredible full-length release, the band announced a hiatus. They didn’t resurfaced again until 2011.
Their eventual return was coupled with the exciting announcement of a new album; so how surprising it was to discover that Sebastian Grainger (the bands energetic drummer) was planning to release a record on his own. And more unexpectedly, it would be packed full of guilt free, fresh-faced pop songs.

Yours To Discover introduces a new element of musical expression for Grainger, and to be fair, it is most welcome. His seemingly effortless approach to producing an enticing pop song, without the need to lie to yourself about how much you enjoy it, proves to be very refreshing for the ears.
The hook-filled, 80s-esc powerhouse, ‘Going With You’ sounds delightfully glossy compared to Grainger’s past. But his distinctive grainy voice, coupled with a dishing of flirty, over-produced guitar solos and elegant pulsing synths forms a brilliant structure for the albums highpoint. There are moments that feel slightly disjointed, presenting a trivial unease (see ‘Waking Up Dead’), but those feeling are instantly overturned by tracks such as ‘The Streets Are Still A Mess’ and ‘Some People Are Ghosts Too Soon’. Which in comparison are constructed like the Shard, as appose to the Indian Commonwealth Games of 2010.

It’s clear that Grainger isn’t going to get a whiff of mainstream success from this album, despite its gratifying approach to the world of pop. But we are ok with that. Because what he has produced is something that is much more worth while for society; a pop record that holds firmly onto its own integrity, whilst providing an honest and genuinely enjoyable listening experience. Go forth and discover people. 

7/10

Rob Bramhill

Grouplove - Spreading Rumours

Remember the summer of 2011?  The summer you couldn’t avoid Foster The People whilst their equally good Californian counter-parts Young the Giant and Grouplove skirted the edges and touring Ameri-rocker friends Cage the Elephant and Manchester Orchestra also released solid records?
You’l probably only remember Pumped Up Kicks, but on the smaller stages at all of the festivals you’d find Grouplove tearing it up in joyous and energetic fashion and out of all of their East Coast fleet, they’re the first ones to return. So how is their ‘difficult second record’?

Spreading Rumours starts with the enchantingly dense I’m With You. At first listen it sounds like a pulsating trip into the more grown up version of a band that was in their debut and preceding EP full of reckless abandon. The further into it you venture however the more you realise that this is a band that have spent plenty of time in the studio making their version of an American Carnival sound like the complex yet enjoyable time it is. This care to the complex continues in Borders and Aliens, as the band take a more mathematical backline and give it the kind of chorus that you’d expect to fall somewhere between The Maccabees and Biffy Clyro’s newest work.

Schoolboy and Ways to Go have more of the summertime feel that was on their first record; the latter of which sounds much like Tongue Tied’s older brother, before the middle-filler of the record comes in. It’s in this though that Grouplove show their true colours. Whilst the tracks themselves lack the hooks that could make them great sounding live songs, the lyrical content feels more honest. Sit Still deals with the issues of being noticed whilst in response to much of the ‘hippy’ criticism that came from the media two years ago “I’d rather be a hippy than a hipster // So come sit at my table” is blasted out of Christian Zucconi’s powerful voice.

Hannah Hopper’s voice too has matured and strengthened also. On Didn’t Have to Go, she rivals the power that the likes of Charlotte Cooper and Hayley Williams have honed over the years whilst filling it with raw emotion. If it didn’t have such a strange backing track, the track could be heartwrenching.
Raspberry feels just like Cage the Elephant at their best whilst album closer takes from the similar closing style as album one and the kind of sound that Dry The River tried to pen down last year. It’s a fairly cop-out ending but at the same time; it feels fitting to a record that even in the predictable parts feels like a keeper.  

8.5

Braden Fletcher

Beacons Festival '13

Imagine a festival with a stellar line-up of bands and DJs, a festival that's also passionate about cinema, art and good food...a festival where not one idiotic cry of “ALAN!” “STEVE?!” is heard all weekend. That festival is Beacons and Beacons is perfect. 

We spend Thursday night dancing to The Cribs and Sweet Female Attitude in The Social tent and watching the harrowing film The Arbor in the cosy Into The Woods tent. The Into The Woods tent was part of The Space Between – the art space at Beacons and was definitely one of my favourite attractions at Beacons. You have to take your shoes off to get in and can lay back and relax on huge beanbags. Perfect for winding down or killing time before bands in the morning! The Space Between also offered Q&As with director Shane Meadows, screen printing, lectures about the brain, flag making, aura reading, giant scrabble and a Beacons Boutique that offered up delicious cake and face painting.

Friday's festivities begin with Big Deal, a denim clad dreamy duo who treat the crowd to laid back, summery shoegazy pop songs that ease everybody into the next 3 days of partying. To counteract the lovely Big Deal we head on over to the excellent You Need to Hear This stage to witness an excellently gloomy set by Esben and the Witch. Rachel Davies leaves everyone captivated with her haunting vocals and impeccable bass playing. They play an intense set that ends with a 10 minute wall of sound that could rival My Bloody Valentine's. We head on over to The Social for a fancy dress dance off  where the prize for the most amazing, mind blowing disco dancing is free Beacons tickets for life!
Friday is also fancy dress day at Beacons and with the theme being “Frontiers of the Future” there are some amazing outfits including a robotic looking lady with three heads and a man covered in silver paint. The atmosphere is excellent and the dance off provides a lot of sassy dancing to Got to be Real by Cheryl Lynn and a lot of laughs.

We're faced with a Bonobo and Fucked Up clash on the Friday night but after sidestepping to half of Bonobo's brilliant set we head on over to Fucked Up as we're more in the mood to mosh about. Frontman Damien Abraham has crushed a tinnie into his head. And he's styling it out and rocking it as if he's attending a wedding and the can is his jaunty little hat. Damien creates an amazing atmosphere and spends the whole set on the barrier hugging the crowd and shouting in their faces. We leave the tent chanting “dying on the inside! dying on the inside” and spend the rest of the festival wishing we could see them headline the You Need to Hear This stage every night.

Saturday brings such delights as Melody's Echo Chamber. Melody's Echo Chamber play a perfectly psychedelic set with amazing visuals. Singer Melody Proche is incredibly sincere and thanks the crowd about 20 times in-between crooning over dreamy pop that's been crafted with a little help from Tame Impala's Kevin Parker to create something beautiful. We end Saturday evening with Gold Panda. The Loud and Quiet stage is packed out and the crowd erupts into madness as soon as “You” begins playing. Dancing our feet off to Gold Panda's amazing set, complete with funky dancing from the man himself, is a brilliant way to end the night.

Sunday afternoon brings Sky Larkin! We expect catchy indie pop from the Leeds natives and catchy indie pop is delivered with old songs still sounding fresh and new songs sounding very promising. Beacons does a brilliant job at showcasing Yorkshire's excellent music scene as the next band we witness are Hookworms. Hookworms play their epic songs, that almost all clock in at over 6 minutes, very, very loudly. Singer MJ's vocals are barely heard above all the scuzzy guitars but he yelps and jumps all over the stage. Hookworms are loud, enthusiastic and put on a damn good show. We're also very excited, giddy even, because Danny Brown is the next act to grace us with his presence and he's the one we've been waiting for all weekend. 

Danny Brown is one of the most exciting and interesting names in hip hop and, accompanied by DJ and producer SKYWLKR, they put on a rowdy show that does not disappoint. When Danny decides to join the crowd for “Monopoly” he gets mobbed by sweaty bodies shouting along to every single word. Danny Brown was the absolute highlight of Beacons. We end Sunday night with Savages and do not regret it at all. Having never heard them before their raucous live show was a surprise and a highlight of the festival. Frontwoman/intimidating force of nature Jehnny Beth prowls around the stage looking like Bowie in his Thin White Duke phase. The intense vocals teamed with the lightning fast drumming creates a mind blowing sound. Savages are scary and sexy and everything I could want from a post-punk band. 

The festival overall had an amazing atmosphere, everyone was friendly, every band that I made an effort to see and every band that I stumbled upon was brilliant in their own way and when it was all over on the Monday morning we definitely all wanted to stay another night in that field in Skipton rather than return home to hot water and a comfy bed. Beacons 2013 did not disappoint and I cant wait to see what it brings next year.

Words by Eden Young and Photos by Sandy Rushton

Sigur Ros - Kveikur

In recent years, viking funerals in which the deceased is sent out to sea on a burning pyre have somewhat decreased in popularity. However, if a standard cremation simply isn't your thing, Sigur Ros' latest release 'Kveikur' will serve as the perfect soundtrack.

In an interview with Pitchfork back in January the band described their new material as ‘more aggressive’: this is evident straight from the first track and first single from the album, Brennistein, a thumping song with a distinct lack of gravity pulling you out of yourself. There’s something distinctly worn and tribal about the album, as if it were not written but discovered in paintings on a cave wall. Kveikur – which translates as ‘Candlewick’ – marks a departure from Sigur Ros’ previously more prog sound, and into a world of tribal drums and campfire rituals.

Another strength of the album is a certain naturalistic quality with which the band is not entirely unfamiliar. Sigur Ros use as many amps and guitars and pedals and production tools as the next band, but there’s something inherently real and uncreated about their music. I guess this lies partly in the fact that the album is so well produced – they have their singles, but they’re not a band you remember for one song, doubly so if your Icelandic isn’t very good. Each song on the album melts together beyond recognition. There are nine tracks – but you only listen to Kveikur. And it's certainly a worthwhile listen.

7/10

Lewis Shaw

Icona Pop - Iconic EP

Swedish exports Icona Pop have had a pretty enjoyable rise. Having been taken on by New York  Atlantic-offspring label Big Beat Records (Skrillex, Flux Pavilion, Metronomy) in America and having had nods from Mercury to Kitsune here in the UK, their Nights Like This EP came through to an interesting buzz. Now with the likes of hype artist Charli XCX on board, is their six-track offering, the “Iconic EP” actually worth all of the attention?

Opening with the aforementioned Charli XCX featuring track I Love It; you’re instantly thrown into a world that looks and sounds a lot like the kind of music that not only graces the dance tents at festivals, but seeps out across the whole festival. I Love It crosses the upbeat bass of modern Ibiza and the catchy sounds of both Black Kids and the Naked and Famous in a hugely enjoyable opener. If I were to be anal, I’d suggest that the second track; Ready For the Weekend (hello Calvin Harris) should be the opening track as it has the kind of sound that you’d hear regurgitated by a host of djs in *Club Venue, Little Townsville*, but given the diversity of each track on the EP, its hardly fair to suggest this has a huge impact on the enjoyability. Good For You is the first genuinely weak track on the EP in that it’s every euro-pop track that made it to the states in the late-nineties all over again and frankly, it grates the ears.

Fortunately, if you’re after a big pop track, the only other “new” track on the record is the one for you. Top Rated is better than anything Katy Perry has released in years and a rich dance sound without having to listen to David fuck-face Guetta. The remaining two tracks on the record are tracks taken from the previous EP; each of them moderately enjoyable in their own right but with little place in the 2012 release.

Lots of buzz, a hype artist and a heck of a lot of pop cliché’s, but in these six tracks; Icona Pop display that whether they’re nicking track titles from Calvin Harris and Passion Pit or taking a few too many hints from Madeon and other chart breaking contemporaries, they can still make it their own.  Whether it’s all worth it though, I’m not sold.

6.1

Braden Fletcher