ConventionRecorders.com

Archive for the ‘New Albums’ Category

Richard Hawley and his wonderful band help us get in the Christmas spirit with his cover of Silent Night, the video was recorded at one of Right Guard’s ‘Off Guard’ gigs earlier this year at The Devil’s Arse cave in Derbyshire, surely one of the most haunting and picturesque settings you could find in the UK.

Richard released his latest album Truelove’s Gutter in September through Mute. You might’ve also heard his current single ‘Open Up Your Door’ on the advert for Hagen Dazs ice cream.

Emanating from Chicago, but latterly LA dwelling post-modern arty types OK Go release their first full length album since their video propelled 2005 offering, ‘Oh No’. In the intervening four+ years the band have toured extensively, released an EP with Bonerama in aid of ‘musicians displaced by hurricane Katrina’, been parodied on The Simpsons, recorded a song for The Chicago Soccer Team, done a Pixies cover for a tribute album and recently played a benefit gig with Black Francis, Flea and…… (Who knew they were still around?) Love And Rockets among others.

Formed in 1998 by former Interlochen Arts Camp students Damian Kulash and Tim Nordwind, OK Go have established themselves as somewhat of a creative force aurally and visually, whether that be manifested in their oh so geek, but so very nearly chic, choice of apparel, or their innovative, multimillion viewed music video output. This time around they have enlisted the help of ex-Mercury Rev member Dave Fridman (MGMT, Flaming Lips) as producer. Originally to be titled ‘The Influence of the Blue Ray of the Sunlight and of the Blue Colour of the Sky’ after an 1876 book ‘promoting the erroneous theory that blue light cures all ills’OK Go sensibly settled on their, slightly, shorter album title.

OK Go have already said that the album draws on influences from Prince, and, quite frankly you’d have to have been doing some serious solitary akin to a castaway island inhabiting W.W.II Japanese soldier not to recognise this from the off. It’s a soulful, funk fuelled homage to the little man from Minnesota. Guitar breaks, vocal shrieks, sighs and catchy licks run through the fabric of the album binding and building the theme. There are other points of interest going on here but if you’re not a fan of Sheena Easton’s ex-squeeze you may find this album a struggle.

‘WTF’ starts the album off splendidly with a dirty bass, falsetto vocal and sexually charged energy that Mr Rogers Nelson himself would be proud to call his own. ‘All Is Not Lost’ combines a fine melodic tune with a harmonious Beautiful South flavoured chorus. ‘Needing/Getting’ melds a Yeah Yeah Yeah’s guitar break with a faintly Buzzcock doused lyrical sensibility and attitude complete with a midpoint melt down.(’Needing’ also contains one hell of a fuzzy, threatening and gloriously creeping bass line). Elsewhere the aforementioned MGMT are evident as both influence and inspiration to the albums direction and content, as too, areOK Go’s east coast cousins, The Scissor Sisters. On ‘Skyscrapers’, a slower tempo, moody number (released previously as a single) Damian laments that ‘I stand here a penitent man’, although for what we are never quite sure……. May I suggest it is the guitar riff so unashamedly lifted from Electric Six that smoulders in the background? Further into ‘Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky’, OK Go almost tire of their ‘tribute’ album and decide to move on to pastures new. There’s a Beatles like quality to ‘Back From Kathmandu’ and a distinct french, Daft Punk/Air, flavour to the synth vocalised ‘Before The Earth Was Round’.

Geek or Glam, chic or sham, you decide. Take it non too seriously, disregard the pilfering, and what you get is a creative, if not entirely original, feisty smorgasbord of funky, and, on occasion, furtive tunes.OK Go are set to tour the UK from January to help promote their new baby. Expect extravagance, colour, performance and panache to accompany a vibrant musical flight of fancy.

When Dave Grohl first fronted Foo Fighters in 1994, few would have envisaged that they would become one of the world’s biggest rock acts, yet this was confirmed when they headlined two nights at Wembley Stadium in 2008. This compilation comes after six studio albums and while Grohl works on his side project, Them Crooked Vultures.

Doing exactly as it states, this release is very much a collection of hits as opposed to being a ‘best of’, though in the case ofFoo Fighters there may be little difference between the two. Arguably yet to produce a truly classic album, this format does mean you get many of the band’s greatest moments from throughout their career, so early successes such as ‘This Is A Call’ to more recent brilliance in the shape of ‘The Pretender’ and ‘All My Life’. The track that many consider to be the group’s magnus opus, ‘Everlong’, makes two appearances – its original version and an acoustic take which reveals a beautiful fragility. There is no denying the song’s brilliance, but when you consider the likes of ‘DOA’, ‘Stacked Actors’ and ‘Generator’ didn’t make the cut, then perhaps there is too much emphasis here on simply cashing in. The other obligatory bonus material is of decent quality, ‘Wheels’ being a radio-friendly romp while ‘Word Forward’ is of a heavier style, but they don’t make this worth purchasing if you already own theFoo Fighters catalogue. For those who haven’t many of those records though, this is a fantastic collection from a band that release quality singles with impressive regularity.

While their self-titled debut in 2002 passed under the radar, 2005’s ‘A Beautiful Lie’ saw 30 Seconds To Mars propelled to headlining status at Give It A Name festival on the back of hits such as ‘The Kill’ and ‘From Yesterday’. A record company dispute provided a backdrop to the recording of this follow-up, which is supported by a UK arena tour in February 2010.

Clearly embracing their grander appeal, 30STM open with the atmospheric intro of ‘Escape’ before Shannon Leto grabs the attention with the thunderous drums that introduce ‘Night Of The Hunter’. Tinged with electro, the guitar lines have a touch of stadium-specialists U2, while Jared Leto switches between whispers and roars. A pulsating anthem, it is only spoiled by a poor command of the French language, but following it up with the sweeping ‘Kings And Queens’ keeps the momentum going and in truth the quality rarely drops. Many of the songs are filled with angst and fighting oppression and though specific details are not present it could well be taken for the broader meaning of standing up for oneself. Certainly the energy and dynamics that power ‘Closer To The Edge’ and ‘Search And Destroy’ are an invigorating catalyst, but it is the more considered approach of ‘Hurricane’ that steals the show. A brooding piano number, it is truly stirring when Leto begs the question “do you really want me dead or alive to torture for myself?” and shows this is more than just a band to champion for the emo generation. The only real gripe with ‘This Is War’ is an overuse of the recordings of 30STM’s fans, The Echelon, which despite being a commendable idea leaves ‘100 Suns’ feeling cheesy once the applause kicks in. It certainly doesn’t spoil the album though, which easily proves that the band’s success with the last record was no fluke and if anything surpasses expectations to be a very enjoyable alternative rock collection.

John Mayer is a massive hit in the US, and for his followers here, Battle Studies has been eagerly awaited. But has it lived up to the hype?

Battle Studies is essentially a sombre affair, and I use the word affair loosely to compliment his inspiration. Quoted in June as saying that the album was a ‘heartbreak handbook’, the entire 45 minutes reflects his luck, or lack of it, in love. We all know about his on off relationships through his appearance in the gossip magazines, but his material tells a slightly different story.

For an apparent light hearted and fun guy, John Mayer appears to lose this at the sight of a studio door. That is until you reach ‘Who says’. He becomes less sombre and serious, and consequently more likeable. We’re not all heartbroken, and don’t want to be brought down. As for applying the concept of heartbreak to a war torn country, I’m not so sure that’s a sensitive analysis. Yet it sort of works for him.

This is not to say that I haven’t been listening to the album and enjoying most of it. The production is high quality, the material is tight, and his talent remains clear. This is however no Continuum, which in my opinion is his strongest album to date. Battle Studies remains to be a safe release, there is no statement being made here.

Eleven tracks crossing between modern pop and blues, all a self reflection of previous relationships. I can see his aim, something to relate to. ‘Friends, Lovers, or Nothing’, ‘Who Says’ and ‘Assassin’ stand out, but for different attributes. Assassin is perhaps the riskiest track on the album.

An apology has already come out for the lack of a defining guitar solo’s on Battle Studies. It’s all part of his plan apparently, so I guess we’ll see.

Being part of punk godfathers New York Dolls would be a satisfying enough position for some musicians, but for Steve Conte it is just one colour on his palette. With several acts on the go, this particular project formed in 2005 after a chance meeting with an old school friend and takes its name from the works of Charles Bukowski.

Punk may never have been the most progressive genre and it’s no surprise to find it is an underlying style here, but this trio show how relatively simple music can easily produce enjoyable results. The tone is set by ‘This Is The End’, an energetic opener with a great riff, while more the of the same comes in the shape of ‘Gypsy Cab’, which has a stealth-like charm that’ll see you humming along before you know it. A bluesy direction drives ‘Texas T’ before hitting a tingling solo and for those who prefer something more melodic, ‘The Truth Ain’t Pretty’ may well hit the spot. A touch of soul also manifests itself in the shape of ‘Busload Of Hope’, but perhaps the track which best surmises this self-titled release is ‘Strumpet-Hearted Monkey Girl’. One of the daftest track names of the year, it is also one of the most simple and fun you could hear from 2009, and is part of a record which has the key strength of being easily listenable for its duration.