Songs of the week 24/11/12

1. Lana Del Rey - Body Electric


You either want to be her or be on her, everybody's favourite lady of darkened gothic pop has returned to save our failing music system in a blaze of glorious light.  Lana Del Rey's hauntingly gripping vocals ooze passion and sadness in track five of her band new album, imaginatively named "Born to Die - The Paradise Edition".   "Body Electric’s” eerie Gothic vibe entices you forward to enter the hideout of the ghoul which has decided to vacation inside Del Rey for the time being.   A song filled with strong influences of re-occurring father-daughter issues, the steady pulse rate echoes.   The carefully planted beats which act like slippery stepping stones and heart-racing-adrenaline-pumping drama; the mystifying music pushes you forward in a stupor of maddening slumber.    Del Rey's sickly sweet lyrics pierce the veil of a blackened, unknown wedding procession between two un-named lovers.    She spins and dances while taking you on a never-ending spiral through the Gothic Forrest which crowds your mind.   Punctured by un-even rhythms which jangle and spring together to form something breath-taking, we get a vague insight into how alone and feeble Del Rey really is.   Is she hiding behind the dresses and make-up?  Is there something feeble and weak lying under all of the sinister tonight Lana Del Rey uses?    Freedom: alone   . She sings the body electric - and lets us ever so slightly deepen ourselves into the fizzing current which is spinning her webs. Can Del Rey do no wrong?



2. The Vaccines - I Always Knew

It finally seems as if The Vaccines have been spending far too much time betting at the races recently on tour, rather than jamming together on their guitars, drinking and genuinely getting fucked like most rock bands do these days.    The surprisingly quick up-tempo beat of a western showdown is propelled into oblivion in the brand-new single from the scraggly haired indie rockers The Vaccines.   Catchy: chirpy: cool.    The Vaccines have caught the temporary feeling of falling in love with somebody who was sectioned to the dreaded 'friend zone' all along in simple chords and rhyme which shoot electric Goosebumps through the atmosphere.    The feeling of a final realisation has been captured perfectly in the storm of woozy guitar riffs and a belting drum line; the power has been thrust forward and thrown into total chaos which really works.    The echo of Justin Young's simple lyrics ploughing down the playing field of this racing song is phenomenal!    The magical imagery of a gallant horse battle through the desert creates an almighty atmosphere.    This song is an eruption - and a wild one at that!



3. Mumford & Sons - Broken Crown


"Touch my mouth and hold my tongue" Marcus Mumford hums romantically against the gentle lull of his acoustic guitar - opening up new waves of teratory for the world-renowned four piece. Broken Crown is the defining moment of the newly released and critically acclaimed album "Babel". Before the familiar hands begin the plucking of the original Mumford & Sons banjo kicking in, Marcus preforms the first section of this song alone - opening up the ears and eyes of the audience at home. We see Mumford in a new light - a light which seems to show that he is in fact not jesus and actually a human. A contrasting silent roar from Mumford later and we're plunged deep into a pool of complete joy and excitement as the banjo rattles on further. The pounding fuels the tempo inside of your heart as the song lifts you forward to bring yourself to say a chorus of "fuck it all away". From a strong, gallant, moving shout - to a quick snap of a fallen branch, we're taken back to the cold and soft land we had started the journey of the song from. We're brought back from the deep plunge that has us surrounded with lyrics that nobody really understands, but having to question would mean a Mumford & Sons scorning. Up until the very velvety subtle ending, Mumford & Sons have created a brilliantly moving song full of raw emotion transporting you anywhere, anywhere you want to go.

Spector / gig review

Halloween night brought ghouls and ghosts and slender-man from the woods; and we can't forget the Spector.

"I'm not what you want you fell in love with an idea and I was never never never never never enough so tonight I'm riding out of here".

At a halloween themed gig in the centre of Newcastle, students and adults alike had perfected their cat purs, whitened their faces with the colour of blood and there were also some sneaky front-man look-alikes to the left of the stage. Halloween was sure to be a treat (rather than a trick.)

"It's Friday night, don't ever, don't ever let it end"

In the small-box room of the Newcastle O2 Academy (the o2 academy 2) the feel for the night was set with the first support band - three drunken men dressed as a scientist, the hulk and Santa Claus... Yes, Santa Claus. The three mad men were in the form of support band Luls. With jangly indie influences which sounded like crashing through a wood, the three men bobbled and tapped on stage with the occasional head-bang from the hulk himself.

"One you started coming over, two you started sleeping over, three you started taking over, four you told me it was over"

Another half an hour in and the un-expecting crowd were hit with Kiss aka Swim Deep. With starry white faces the indie-pop band fronted by the handsome Austin Williams, bounced through their support set of a brilliant five songs. New single 'Honey' (which is available for purchase now) whipped the crowd up into a frenzy! Head nodding, shoulder sliding and arms high in the sky: Swim Deep really attracted the attention of the student crowd and prepared and built them up for what was to be - a truly amazing Halloween night.

"I'm holding on with both hands but I'm ready to let go"

Spector arrived on stage - in a one-night-and-one-night-only fashion. Dressed head to toe in fancy dress, Fred Macpherson grabbed the room with both hands and jolted into a fast-paced heart-rocking version of 'Twenty Nothing'. If you were on the barrier I sincerely feel sorry for you - the crowd was going crazy and it was quite possible to be an inch away from Macpherson's hand as he jumped straight into the juxtaposed song 'Grey Shirt and Tie'

"Hold me, wont you hold me?"

The mosh-pits were out in full force from the boys dressed in togas for a second encore of 'Chevy Thunder' "for one night Newcastle? Let's play it again" Macpherson hollered down the mic before being drowned out by the terrifyingly magical crowd.

"I know you laugh behind my back, I know you think I'm on my own"

Spector know how to raise the mood - and mellow it instantly with the click of their fingers. These aren't just another indie band with simple riffs and lyrics trying to make it. This is the indie band that is headlining their own tour of the country after playing support to hero's like Florence + The Machine. If anything; the night opened my eyes again to what a real gig looks and feels like: sweaty, hot, sticky and exciting. If you're given the chance to see Spector, go. Really.

                           "We didn't have to fall in love. We could of climbed down slowly"

Alt-J win the Barclaycard Mercuary Prize Awards

The 2012 Barclaycard Mercury Prize awards started and ended with a bang; awarding indie-pop quartet Alt-J (∆) the rightful winners of the most important music award of the year.

The Barclaycard Mercury Prize awards (previously named The Mercury Prize) have had a whole host of winners from different backgrounds and completely different genres over the past 21 years. Winners include: Pulp for album 'Different Class', Ms. Dynamite for album 'A Little Deeper', The xx for album 'The xx' and now: 2012's winner Alt-J (∆) for album 'An Awesome Wave'.

Nominations for this years Barclaycard Mercury Prize are as follows:

Alt-J(∆) - An Awesome Wave
Ben Howard - Every Kingdom
Django Django - Django Django
Field Music - Plumb
Jessie Ware - Devotion
Lianne La Havas - Is Your Love Big Enough?
Micheal Kiwanuka - Home Again
Plan B - Ill Manors
Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge
Roller Trio - Roller Trio
Sam Lee - Ground of it's Own
The Maccabees - Given to the Wild

The 21st ceremony started off with a controversial burst from rapper, actor and film director Plan B. Preforming his lead single 'Ill Mannors' from his prize nominated album of the same name. 'Ill Manors' could be named as a juxtaposed album: compared to the other eleven candidates on the short-list. It's a gut-hitting strong album which packs a punch; which is why it deserved it's rightful place on the shortlist.

 As soon as the final bang from Plan B was issued we were whisked into a world of co-ordinated shirts and mysteriously hazy drum beats - in the form of Django Django. The Scottish art-rock band's self-entitled album is one of the more iconic indie records to break through this year.

                             Performances from U.K's king of modern day folk, Ben Howard, North-East-born-and-bred indie rockers Field Music and 24 year-old soal singer Michael Kiwanuka also followed creating a more interesting air to the Roundhouse full of well-to-do music critics and famous faces.

Alt-J's performance of lead-single 'Breezeblocks' settled the argument on why this four-piece should be rightful winners of the award. Layers of rhymical beats and fragments of twinkling eyes - created a magical and effortless performance; summing up what 'An Awesome Wave' really is. It's a poem: a tale. A tale of boys going out into the world and creating something that is going to get teenagers shoe-gazing and bopping away to the riffs of guitars and an amazingly unique lyrical structure.

Beating other favourites The Maccabees and Ben Howard, Alt-J vowed that the 'Mercuary curse' would not affect their preforming or writing in the future. 'We have a real strong set of songs, future songs' is what Newman from the band said, rubbishing claims of the curse that may be set to develop over them.

All Mercury short-listed artists albums are available to purchase now
If you missed the awards ceremony be sure to catch-up with 4OD.

5 Songs of the week: 2/11/12

1. Teenage Daughter - Dog Is Dead
The five-piece indie-rock band from Nottingham have hand-picked summer memories to a T with this song. It's fresh jangly pop which will have you head-bobbing and shoe-gazing while you mimic the simple guitar riffs. giving so much power and empathise to the beautiful song. Bubbly and woozy; Teenage Daughter puts you in a lazy stupor of relaxation. Summer memories from the warm sea and bright beach with your loved ones can be brought quickly into the mind by just hearing the first chords. Dog Is Dead are finally getting the recognition they need; and Teenage Daughter is really one of the steps into star-dome



2. Flaws - Bastille
Most Youtube searchers would have found this song one of the more interesting adverts that are circling the Internet at the moment. Bastille, a four piece from South London, are an alternative and edgy sound to the usual indie-pop blaring from our radios. Flaws is a strong peppy sounding song. With a strong bass line; the drums in this song play a big part - along side the superior and powerful vocals of lead-singer Dan Smith. If it's possible to call a song pretty - then Flaws is a very 'pretty' song. Expect to be hearing a lot more from Bastille in the future.

3. Last Of The Summer Wine - Palma Violets
Even though the London boys have only broken through the barrier of mainstream success; they've already been on the front cover of NME and they're not just another indie-rock band trying to make it. They don't need to try very hard because they're succeeding with their new single,. Last Of The Summer Wine is a roller-coaster of emotional music. The hazy guitar riffs elevate you high into a sort of summer daze before the forcefully gruff voice of the memorising lyricist really sucks you in. The indie-rock feel lifts you up higher and higher until you're gently brought back down to earth with the feeling of post-festival depression... and that is what the repeat button is for.

4. Maths - deadmau5
The only possible way you can get a moody, sullen teenager to admit that maths is cool; is by putting it as the title of a hard-kicking electronic-house track. Maths by deadmau5 has been weaving its way through the hearts of hardcore mau5 fans for months recently appeared in the track-listing for new album >insert album name here<. Maths is kept simple with repetitive synthesised beats which gradually lift you from the floor of despair to party-lets-get-drunk mode. The build of rattling heart-drops and layers of hard-work can be heard from this song putting you in the mood for any occasion - from the first minute to the seventh deadmau5 continuously raises you off of the floor until you can get no higher then drops you - and repeat.


5. Genesis - Grimes
Take a 24 year-old Canadian called Claire Boucher, give her some models dressed up as futuristic psycho killers with pink dreadlocks, a snake and swords; and you've created a video to one of the most experimental sounds heard this year. Genesis is a whirlwind to say the least. A beautiful poem of words strung together and hung out to dry in a world of magic and adventure: that is what Genesis is. The almost immersed feeling of being dragged under a sea of water is created when Grimes whispers effortlessly into the microphone. Weaving in and out, on-top and below the beat of the music. Grimes really pulls you in and creates a sort of nostalgia to another time in your life. Finally some recognition of Grimes has been found on the radio 1 play list; so expect to be hearing her very soon.