subversed-blog

[subversed-blog]

Review: Slash - Self Titled

Living axe-legend Slash is known for solos, not solo albums. But even after finally getting round to a full length under his own name after two decades of bourbon-soaked rock'n'roll history his debut is a million miles from a lonesome affair.

The difference between this and Slash's previous 'Snakepit outings is the role call of rock's finest lending their abilities to every track in guest appearances. A vocal spot from M. Shadows couldn't have been far removed from his day job, given Avenged Sevenfold's stylistic shift towards sleaze metal and elsewhere Chris Cornell, whose crushed career is hoped to be reignited in this dream pairing, as well as Myles Kennedy, Dave Grohl and 'The Blizzard of Ozz' himself all feature.

The remainder of the album stars a puzzling cast ranging from rock deadbeats Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop and The Cult's Ian Astbury to chart itches like Fergie, Kid Rock and that chap who sounds like Mickey Mouse from Maroon 5.

Needless to say the result is a slapdash scattering of hit and miss hard rock. Ozzy's eulogy would serve better as the death knell of his career, put simply and whilst a drastic improvement over his RnB endeavors, Cornell's disappointingly soulful contribution doesn't do as much resurrecting as frustrating as his worn pipes clearly aren't put to their best use. When this hellacious alliance was announced I had hoped for something at least rivalling latter-day Audioslave (in actual wattage) and given the mother of all supergroup's mindframe at that time it couldn't have been hard. Truth is, this could barely qualify for that pre-industry suicide solo record he put out a few years back, which wasn't exactly 'Badmotorfinger' either.

Shadows' more metallic backing serves him better than most others here, even if it does come across as a throwaway A7X number. Kennedy's two tracks flurry between pop and funk: a million Myles (ha!) from his work in Alter Bridge, but he adapts well to the genre-hopping. Sadly the songs themselves smack of cringe, aiming for anthem and instead landing closer to goat's cheese balladry.

The slots of Iggy Pop and Kid Rock just seem uninspired and are a chore to get through but it's the most surprising appearances that serve as the highlights.

Fergie abstains from auto-tune for four and a half minutes and proves her worth as a rock vocalist in the attitude-driven menace 'Beautiful Dangerous'. 'Paradise City' is an obvious reference point but this is one of the few tracks where the conductor makes his presence felt through a pit-ready backdrop and a squealing solo.

The immediately identifiable howl of Lemmy shapes 'Doctor Alibi' as a would-be Motorhead hit. To the point and not pretending to be anything it's not, it's Lemmy doing what he does best: blaring pure rock n' roll through his beneficially ruined sinuses for three minutes of punk simplicity.

But for all the hype surrounding the vocalists of yesteryear, somewhat ironically it's the instrumental that's the best track on the album. Without having to deflect around the need for verses and choruses he can at last allow his primary weapon to prevail. And that it does with a signature Slash riff and and a 'Contraband' era blaze-out midway through, pounded along by Grohl behind the kit and Duff McKagen fattening up the body.

Overall it seems it's the ensemble cast who dictate album's turnout rather than the architect himself, who subsides to appeasing each guest's suited style rather than focusing on pure songwriting. As a result 'Slash' fails to truly deliver the goods we know the axeman is capable of. Whether he needs a consistent, functioning band around him is not clear. It might keep the casual community content, but those who've followed the long-touted progress of this record will be left wanting more. Maybe the top hatted one should just spend less time Tweeting and more time getting back his Appetite. 6/10 Prime Cuts: Watch This, Beautiful Dangerous, Doctor Alibi

#album review #self titled #slash #unpublished

[subversed-blog]

Interview: Slaves To Gravity

Pre-gig at Wolverhampton Little Civic, 26th April 2010

You’ve overcome plenty of obstacles in the drumming department. Have you found a long-term replacement in Jason? Tommy: I certainly hope so. I hope he’s not going anywhere. We’re going to glue him to the drum seat! I think it’s really revolutionised the band, it’s so much tighter live and there’s a much more positive attitude in the band now. We’ve been the victim of getting very negative for different reasons that I won’t get into now but I think Jason’s an incredible musician and real positive influence on us all. We’re in a good place right now.

Will his time in bands like Pitchshifter bring some valuable experience to the table? Jason: I have to say I’ve never played with a bunch of talented musicians more than these guys and it’s criminal that we’re not playing stadiums yet. Mark: I thought he was going to say, “I’ve never played with a bunch of talented musicians before.” (The band laugh) Jason: From my point of view, it’s like they’ve kind of enhanced my playing as well because we’re all kind of level. What will happen to your other bands now?

Jason: Well to be honest with you Pitchshifter was an ongoing concern and it’s not really done much. There’s a few gigs here and there but I’ve been looking for a band for a long time that I can commit to musically, that’s got timeless songs really. I’ve sort of being whoring myself in session mode for the past eight years, a bit like Dr Who, don’t really make any friends – (The band laugh) What’s the story with the new album – when can we see it being released? Tommy: It’s going to be coming out sort of autumn time, we think. We don’t have a firm release date yet because we don’t have a deal yet. But we’re not going to be self-releasing, we’re going to try and find a good label that’s going to give it the support we feel it deserves. You know, not end up chucking it into a black hole and nothing ever coming of it. But it’s done. We’ve got half a song left to mix and then the first single is coming out June 21st. It’s called “Good Advice” a

nd that’s going to be a download only single and there’ll be another single just before the album drops, then the album, September or October. Is 'Last Ignition' a sign of what to expect overall? Tommy: It’s very difficult to find one song on the album that sums it up in its entirety because I think it’s a really dynamic album. It’s got a lot of different colours and moods on there so there’s no one song that’s indicative of the thing as a whole. But it’s as good a song as any in my opinion and one we thought would be a sort of corridor into the album. So it’s a taster track but not the first official single?

Tommy: Yeah. I guess we sort of nicked the idea off Alice In Chains; they did a similar thing with their new record. But it was a really cool way of doing it to usher you into the kind of vibe. Where did the name UNDERWATEROUTERSPACE come from? Tommy: I think I was probably a bit pissed (Laughs) I suppose because it’s such a dynamic record it does kind of take you on a journey from start to finish. It goes to so many different places, from the lowest of the low to super out there. A title like UNDERWATEROUTERSPACE seemed to visually bring that idea to the form. Are there any major musical shifts from “Scatter the Crow”?

Jason: I think it’s a natural evolution into the band’s sound and I think what it will hopefully do is create the band as an entity rather than another rock band. As a band with their own sound, which is so rare nowadays with all the copycat shit you see in magazines and stuff. Was there any difficulty in writing the second album? Tommy: The most difficult thing was getting into the fucking studio because we were broke and there was so much uncertainty behind the scenes with how the band was being funded because we’d done everything on our own up until that point. It costs quite a lot of money to go into the studio, hire a producer to help you make the record. So just to get to the point where we could actually go ‘Right we’re going in for three weeks’ was at times difficult. But once we were in there we did it in a third of the time that we did the first album. We were really quick, three weeks in and out, done and we were really focused the whole time. I mean everyone has off days but on the whole it was a really fucking great experience to make the album.

Does the independency in self-funding still stand up well an album in? Tommy: It’s not without it’s drawbacks. It enabled us to get an album out in a time where we looked for a straight deal for a little while and no one was making very convincing noises. So we thought we could kind of go round cap in hand begging for a deal but we just thought ‘Fuck it, let’s do it ourselves’. We’d had almost universally bad experiences with labels with other bands so at that point we said we’d figure out a way to do this on our own. I think for the way it was set out we achieved a lot. We didn’t sell oodles of copies but we built a pretty good fanbase, we got in everyone’s faces and got some great press coverage and it spring-boarded to what we’re doing now, which is taking it hopefully to a much larger audience. The one I thing I don’t think you’re going to do on your own unless you’re doing gimmicky music is become huge completely off your own back. You need that machine of a label and the weight that carries to send you into the stratosphere. It’s just hard on your own.

So you think the time you’ve invested in the album has paid off? Tommy: Well making this one was quicker than the first. The writing process was probably about a year. We were accumulating stuff while we were on the road touring the first album and when we were back home we’d be writing in the studio. Mark: It’s kind of a similar length writing wise to “Scatter the Crow” because that was about a year as well. The whole recording process was quicker. I think that was to do with Bob really, our producer, he didn’t let us look too hard into things if you know what I mean.

Do you write on the road at all or how are songs developed in most cases? Mark: We don’t really write properly on the road because there’s never really time. Tommy: If we were more pampered and travelling in a tour bus, we didn’t have to carry all our own gear and chase the promoter after the gig every night we might have more time to do it. For me I always get little ideas on the road because we hear loads of bands every night. I find like a line of melody I’ll hum into my phone and forget about it for six months, then go home and trawl through it on Garage Band or something and build a song around these little ideas. But from my perspective I can’t write lead guitar parts for shit that’s very much Mark’s department. Same for bass and drum parts, I can just put the skeleton idea out there and say here’s the basic idea. How has the tour been going so far with the reception of the new songs especially?

Jason: I think it’s been really good, the new material has gone down really positively. When you’re road testing new material you kind of worry that people won’t accept new stuff because they want to hear the old stuff. But you have to be brave and push out the new stuff to get people hooked on it. How has the new setlist been put together then for this tour? Tommy: We’ve been tweaking it a little bit as we go, I mean there’s more new stuff than old in the set. We kick off with a couple of older ones and then we launch into some new stuff and it seems to be flowing quite well. I think the set is chosen more out of the dynamics of the individual songs more than whether or not they’re new or old because we’ve a half hour or so to make our presence felt. It can be frustrating there’s so many textures and colours in the band’s sound, it’s nice when you get to play a little bit longer so you can explore more of that. You kind of get into it, there’s one of the new songs that’s going more in that direction.

Do you feel that maybe having an album under your belts should’ve earned you more than a support slot? Jason: It’s early days really. I think it would be silly to do a headline tour straight away before our machine has really kicked in because I think a lot of bands can do this, have a strategy and stick to it for six or eight months. At the moment we’ve got a good plan in place so we’re confident that when we do our own headline tour in the autumn it’ll be wicked. It’s about setting up the right tone before you embark on it.

You’ve said that Slaves to Gravity formed as a backlash to the industry. How does that ethos stand now that you have experience of the industry itself? Tommy: I think that was a catalyst for the first songs we ever wrote and obviously we’ve found one another as a result of bands breaking up. With The Ga Ga’s, me and Toshi’s old band, it was very much a result of signing a bad deal and it just killed us really in the end. But I think you’ve got to move on, I don’t want to be someone who’s just permanently bitter about the world that they work in. You have to learn to adapt and accept the system to some extent. I don’t think any musician would look at the state of the industry and say it’s fine, because it’s pretty fucked especially for a musician. But you just have to try and be smart about it and work it as much as you can to your advantage. If you’ve got a ‘Fuck you, fuck everyone’ type attitude you’re not going to make any friends, you’re just going to piss everyone off and you won’t get what you want out of it, which is a career. I don’t see it as giving in, just being more mature than throwing your toys out of the pram because it’s not going your way. It’s a huge industry and we’re right at the bottom of the food chain realistically. But if you believe you’ve got music that will make a difference to people then you just have to hold onto that and take each situation as it comes.

Do you think some songs work better stripped down or are you always more at home with a full electric set? Jason: It’s wicked to show that you can show another dimension to the band acoustically. We did a radio session in Scotland the other day, it was in the control room and there was a drum kit in there and you can adapt it really well even with a full band set up. Hopefully we’ll be on MTV Unplugged…or busking. (The band laugh) Do you see yourselves making any festival appearances over the summer? Tommy: We’d love to but I don’t think it’s going to happen this year. It might do, I’ll never say never, but because our record won’t be out till the other side of that with the festivals been and gone, they want to book bands with something to promote. You can imagine every rock band wants a slot at that festival (Download) so the competition is pretty stiff. We might if we get a little bit of luck. There’s probably more chance we’re going to be doing Sonisphere, again that’s not confirmed either but sure as shit we’ll be doing it in 2011.

Is overseas touring something you’d see yourselves doing in the near future? Tommy: Eventually yeah. For our sound I think it’d be hard to base yourselves purely in the UK forever. It lends itself quite well to, for want of a better term, American radio rock. I don’t think that’s ever been what we’ve set out to do but from the people we work with, the word is that we could get a lot of coverage and support in that market. America just seem a little more geared up for rock as a mainstream thing than people over here where it’s much more alternative. We’ll have to build it because obviously we can’t just book a tour and go over there because they’ll be like “Who the fuck are you?” Like Jay says, you have to have the plan and the whole thing figured out.

What do you think of the current state of contemporary music? Jason: I think the problem is that in this country there’s one main radio station whereas in America you’ve got sixty and most of them cater for rock. It’s probably just the fact that this country is more easily manipulated by a handful of people at the top in the pop industry and because its candyfloss nature it appeals to people who aren’t just as passionate about music and so underground stuff gets left out because it’s harder to find, isn’t it, and I think it’ll stay like that. But on a positive note there’s a lot more people listening to independent radio so in some ways Radio One would be nice but it’s not the be all or end all.

Do you think the digital tools like MySpace have helped bands like yourselves to get off the ground? Tommy: MySpace is great. It’s great to make that direct connection with people who’re into your music twenty-four hours a day. Spotify is a weird one because it depends on who you talk to. Everyone will say something different about whether or not artists actually see any of that revenue. I’ve read stories that people haven’t seen a penny. The labels have but nothing has filtered through to the artist. I couldn’t tell you the last time I got a royalty check. Jason: It’s 0.01p I think for each play, it’s ridiculous. If it gets people to a show that’s a cool thing. Tommy: It’s such a complicated thing though isn’t it, I mean, what’s next, people are just going to walk up to the merch desk and nick the t-shirt? Jason: Or steal your clothes…shit.

Originally published on GigJunkie, 26th April 2010

#slaves to gravity #interview #gigjunkie #w #wolverhampton little civic

[subversed-blog]

Live Review: Slaves To Gravity

Wolverhampton Little Civic, 26th April 2010

For London’s celestial rockers Slaves to Gravity, the priority of this venture round the UK is road testing the bulk of what will be their long awaited sophomore album. A trial run before autumns headlining victory lap, perhaps. Playing second fiddle to the as of yet albumless hype machine of Black Spiders may seem odd at a glance but a cost-free opening slot is all part of the game plan for Slaves in Wolverhampton’s Little Civic tonight.

Amidst the backwoods sleaze rock of the rest of the line-up completed by the Black Stone Cherry-esque Liberty Lies and the slinky stoner grooves of Black Spiders themselves, Slaves’ neo-grunge approach is the notable standout from the surrounding meat and potatoes bill. Something told me that their evasion of the standard riff-chant-riff formula would go over the heads of a lot of tonight’s audience.

And true enough; despite being at home on the hard rock circuit with bands like Zico Chain and The Butterfly Effect, this wasn’t Slaves’ crowd tonight. But that didn’t stop them pulling out all the stops trying to win them over.

On another night the energy the band discharged would have been so contagious the crowd would’ve been quarantined after their performance but it wasn’t until Black Spiders hit the stage that the ball even got rolling, slowly at that. The leather-clad Londoners ripped open the firing line with the riffing hailstorm of 'Too Late' from the debut. The growling swagger of 'Big Red' followed closely behind. As a song heavily backed by Kerrang and Scuzz, it’s the closest encounter they’ve had with a hit. It’s monolithic choruses and heaviness of the underlying grooves scored the band major crossover appeal and so I was a little disheartened with the reaction compared to what I’d envisaged. It’s made of the kind of stuff that would make arenas bounce, but as I said earlier, Slaves were out to convert the crowd and slowly but surely more heads started to nod in approval.

A handful of new tracks brimming with potential including 'Misery Pills' and 'Honesty', bringing to mind 'Everlong', sustained the momentum they’d built up before throwing in the old favourite 'Mr Regulator' to perk up the tempo. “We’re trying out a few new songs, hope you don’t mind,” said frontman Tommy Gleeson. “But if you’re bored as shit, here’s an old one” ahead of launching straight into the mechanised staccato grinds of the 'Scatter the Crow' single. It was the most well received of the night and unsurprisingly so considering the attention it brought the band upon its release.

The short-lived slot was rounded off with two more from the forthcoming 'UNDERWATEROUTERSPACE'. 'Big Tits', which I assume, and really hope, is a working title, was monstrous, really allowing the new drummer Jason Bowld (of Pitchshifter) to explode. The first official single 'Good Advice' capped off the set. A melodic colossus, it proved Gleeson being in possession of a truly powerful set of lungs, but his harmonies with bassist Toshi also propelled the immediacy of the song. A spot on choice for the first single it seems. Strangely the raucous new album taster track 'Last Ignition' remained absent along with the slow-chugging mastery of 'Meantime'. But despite playing mostly unheard material to an away crowd, Slaves to Gravity undoubtedly left an impression tonight. Gaining a few fans, and reassuring the few already here was the number one goal on this stop of the warm up tour. We’ll have to wait to the summer and beyond before things really start to get messy.

Originally published on GigJunkie, 1st May 2010

#slaves to gravity #live review #gigjunkie #wolverhampton little civic

[subversed-blog]

Live Review: Alice In Chains

Birmingham O2 Academy, 13th November 2009

Anyone who says “grunge is dead” is wrong on general principle. Alice In Chains demonstrated exactly why tonight at the O2 Academy in Birmingham. Taking their first record in fourteen years on the road, tragically devoid of their late frontman Layne Staley, the Seattle survivors made their second stop on the UK leg of the tour.

For a band that’s been going since the late eighties, the audience tonight doesn’t even slightly tread into AC/DC territory: whose pre-historic loyalists would gawk blankly at the mention of La Roux, Spotify or Twitter. Middle-aged Gen-X-ers who’ve dusted off the flannel mingle with coming of age grunge kids who grumble about having two ‘Alice In Chains’ artists on their iPods: Alice in Chains / Alice In Chains. Don’t you just hate when that happens?

However diverse the crowd, tonight’s support act couldn’t have been more out of place if it was Timbaland’s name in the liner notes of a Chris Cornell album. Oh wait. Indie two-piece Little Fish showed plenty of promise. They kept the banter to a minimum but were tireless onstage in an attempt to win over the angry mob. In spite of their best efforts, however, this was a public execution. The guillotine arrived in the form of a torrent of unwarranted heckling. Credit to Little Fish; they soldiered on to the end of their short set, displaying a lot of technical prowess and kept a brave face whilst never choking under the pressure. 

The war torn ‘Chains took to stage at last, opening with ‘It Ain’t Like That’. Being only one of two tracks representing the debut, ‘Facelift’, the reaction was cathartic. Jerry’s derailing riffage continued through ‘Again’ and the skull-splintering ‘Them Bones’. The mosh-pits opened up like the heavens outside as the voice of the new frontman William DuVall commanded from his pulpit; drooping over the crowd with menacing zeal in his eyes. There was no extra-terrestrial lasers, pyrotechnics or spectacular visuals. Alice In Chains have always been a bread and butter band in the live setting, relying on the songs and the dedication of the fans. You could feel the mutual adoration between Alice and their followers tonight.

‘Dam That River’ really gave the rhythmic pairing of bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney the chance to shine; like a double uppercut to the throat. Plastic cups of lager soared, never failing to get the timeless reaction from the unlucky receivers. By the time Jerry et all applied the brakes for what fans are calling the new ‘Nutshell’, ‘Your Decision’, the place reeked of sweat and beer-soaked hair; always the sign of a good time. The amp’s breather was then rudely interrupted by the nauseous, off-colour fret crunching of ‘Check My Brain’, gaining a rapturous response from the crowd in full voice for the chorus: “California’s all right, somebody check my brain!”

New album ‘Black Gives Way to Blue’ was further aired in the skin crawling epic ‘A Looking In View’. William and Jerry’s dual lead vocals were just startling here. Heavier than a ten tonne truck and slithering at a snail’s pace, it’s a performance Layne himself would have been proud of. No song on the night was more appropriate than ‘Rain When I Die’ as the downpour outside continued. But it was when the boys broke for an acoustic interlude that things began to just feel surreal. ‘Down In A Hole’ got the onslaught of anthems underway, followed by ultra-rare live outings for ‘Heaven Beside You’ and ‘Got Me Wrong’, which gained one of the loudest responses of the night. The title track of the latest album provided a truly touching moment as the tearful song, dedicated to the memory of Layne was capped off with an image of the fallen icon being shown on the screen behind the band. ‘Acid Bubble’ was up next, one song which far outshines the studio version live. Fluctuating from brooding verses to demonic refrains, it’s like an unending nightmare, sitting alongside ‘Sludge Factory’ as a masterpiece of Alice’ back catalogue.

The crowds’ chants of “Rooster! Rooster! Rooster” were subdued by Jerry for the second time, laughingly retorting “We’ll get to that!” In good spirits, the band bantered with the audience, whilst apologising for a few unnoticeable sound problems. Crowd surfers began to be ejected like lemmings as a few were launched into other fans, something William and Jerry tried to tame as they progressed through ‘God Am’. The anthems again came thick and fast before the encore as the haunting, Layne-written ‘Angry Chair’ and the rip-roaring signature ‘Man In The Box’ brought about a deafening reaction.

After returning with newbie ‘Lesson Learned’ it was ‘Would?’ where the crowd completely drowned out DuVall. Then came the closer, what pretty much all the non-diehards had been waiting for: ‘Rooster’. It couldn’t have been capped off more perfectly as the crowd swayed arm in arm, echoing Will and Jerry’s harmonies, backlit by a video about the songs entire meaning of Jerry’s father’s experience of Vietnam. Moving from mobiles-in-the-air chapters to thunderous mosh-inducing bridges, it was an amazing finale. Before departing one last time, the band threw their entire arsenal into the crowd, as foragers devoured the floor in hope of getting a pick, or even better, catching Sean’s drumstick. I was lucky enough to catch one of Cantrell’s picks, an ideal memoir of a great gig. Welcome back boys, the UK’s missed you.

Originally published on Live4ever, 16th November 2009

#alice in chains #live review #birmingham o2 academy #live4ever

[subversed-blog]

Review: Lostprophets - The Betrayed

Welsh anarchists Lostprophets inadvertently earned themselves the detrimental “emo” tag with their last album but have returned this year to rectify their image. After three gruelling years of touring, recording, line-up and label shifts the quintet has finally readied a visionary fourth release in The Betrayed.

From space-age segues between tracks to apocalyptic atmospherics, the diligence in its craft is unmistakable. After all, they scrapped six figures worth of recordings in LA in order to start from scratch back on their native soil. But was it all worth it?

Well, yes and no. The mishmash of tracks indicates an honest effort to consolidate both fans of their earlier nu-metal stylings and followers of more recent, accessible ventures. The nuclear sledgehammer drumming of “Next Stop Atro City” contains deathly throat-shredding unheard since their beginnings while the acid-thrash of “Dstryer/Dstryer” sounds like the liquidised lovechild of Rage Against The Machine and The Prodigy. Both should delight long term fans and trigger atomic mosh-pits at the festivals.

On the other side of the coin we have a hoard of desultory terrace-bound anthems complete with battle cry chant-a-longs, each of which sounds as uninspired as the last. Lostprophets have a gift for churning out melodic colossus’ effortlessly and the trudge through the latter half of the album sees them in complete autopilot mode. Sure, daytime radio welcomes these harmless ditties with open arms, but even casual listeners could spot the ‘Prophets going through the motions in many tracks here, not least “A Better Nothing” and ��Streets Of Nowhere”. This is the biggest problem facing them, truly living up to their name in not knowing “where they belong”, ironically a song about which is included on the album.

Caught in the crossfire of drive-time friendly alternative and tortured Refused-inspired hardcore, the middle ground they’ve settled for doesn’t seem satisfactory. While smearing off the phony American posturing of Liberation Transmission may win them back a portion of their early day fans, it’s difficult to see where the ‘Prophets can go from here. They run the risk of drowning amongst the legion of forgotten radio-rock generics unless frontman Ian Watkins utilises his keen ear for melody in the right way. Lead single “It’s Not The End Of The World But I Can See It From Here” evidences what Lostprophets are capable of when the elements are combined correctly. Stadium-sized choruses, crushing riffs, rhythmic avenues rivalling Biffy Clyro and a breakdown that could annihilate any time signature. They’ve earned a vast army of followers worldwide of their many different sounds and while this is guaranteed to be a storming success live and commercially, I’d hope Lostprophets continue down the more original paths explored here on future releases.

7/10

#review #lostprophets #the betrayed

[subversed-blog]

Review: Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions

It hardly feels like Biffy Clyro have been away since their 2007 breakout album ‘Puzzle’. They’ve resided on radio airwaves for two years whilst touring the world, a far cry from their earlier, harsher beginnings.

Overall 'Only Revolutions' feels like the most logical, yet natural evolution since Biffy became a commercial mainstay. It’s accessible and whilst long-time fans may mourn the extra glint of studio polish, not least on bombastic album opener 'The Captain', it feels like Biffy have taken a clever step back and have incorporated elements of both their old and new sound. However your view on the 'commercialisation' of Biffy’s sound, credit must be given where credit is due. For years, they plugged away below the surface, thriving on raw musicianship and a cult fan base. They broke into the mainstream on the strength of masterfully crafted songs; there was no intention to score a hit or get some airplay. So if anything, at this point in their careers they deserve a radio staple or two. A few of which could most certainly be pulled from 'Only Revolutions'. Lead single 'That Golden Rule' is a gargantuan mammoth. It’s the embodiment of their inimitable sonic blueprint. Crushing prog guitars and sweeping string arrangements are intertwined like a vast embroidery of divine textures.

‘Bubbles’ recalls 'Infinity Land' in its continued assault, provided by the industry’s virtual “Dial-a-Riff” Josh Homme serving as the axe man in a guest appearance. It’s destined to dominate Zane Lowe’s playlist for a while, as the infection of the massive, double-tracked chorus is inescapable, culminating in a jaw-dropping instrumental outro.

The lyrical gloom and doom of 'Puzzle' has faded away as Simon Neill wants “to hear both sides” over 'God and Satan's' poignant acoustics. Despite the metaphorical gobbledygook, the 'Machines'-esque melodies are there to keep the song in check.

Unfortunately sugary-sweet hooks aren’t enough to save 'Born On A Horse'. Lines like “I pronounce it aluminium, cause there’s an I next to the U and M” lunge it into 'Who’s Got A Match?' territory. Even the slinky bass lines and trotting percussion borrowed from Neill’s Marmaduke Duke side project can’t overcome the lyrical preposterousness.

Last year’s smash 'Mountains' helps pick up some mid-album steam, continuing the titanic imagery. 'Shock Shock' is noisy, bordering on anthemic at times and could prove huge at live shows, breakdowns and swaying choral soundscapes.

‘Many Of Horror’ is an orchestra –laden epic, breaking up the pace well in the latter half of the album, before 'Booooom, Blast & Run' amps things up once more. It’s punky attack gallops relentlessly, offering an almost 'Blackened Sky' age sound, save for the crisper production.

'Cloud of Stink' is almost a Foo Fighters rocker in disguise, laced-with experimental nuances, such as falsetto-driven verses and heroic chants.

The album is rounded off with the contagious 'Know Your Quarry' before racing pop-pomp of 'Whorses' rounds off the album in a blaze of fuzzed out feedback and screeching amp-smoke.

On the whole it’s hardly the return to their roots as touted, but more a daring leap forward to consolidate the effortless alt-pop bluster started on 'Puzzle'. A worthwhile addition to Biffy’s catalogue which shows growth and risk-taking. 8/10

#biffy clyro #only revolutions #review #album review

[subversed-blog]

Review: Biffy Clyro - That Golden Rule

After a year of relative quiet from Scottish rock trio Biffy Clyro following last summers stopgap single ‘Mountains’, Biffy’s new single ‘That Golden Rule’ spearheads their hugely anticipated fifth album, ‘Only Revolutions’, and it doesn’t disappoint.

The track sees Biffy consolidate the more accessible sound that was introduced with their previous album, ‘Puzzle’, but also expand upon it with the interwoven guitar textures and jaw dropping temporal shifts that stapled classic Biffy, making it equally nourishing for both the hardcore fan-base and the post-Puzzle community.

It sounds like two completely different bands locking horns in a fight to the death as the opening half of infectious choruses and intricate stoner-prog riffs give way to a godlike milieu of powerhouse drumming and orchestra interplay. But when it’s all over you know it’s unquestionably Biffy. Few other bands today are as creative as this and it’s great to see the boundaries of mainstream acceptability being toyed with like Biffy Clyro have done.

Front man Simon Neil described it as a fusion of Kyuss and Tool and he’s not far off where the manic assault of guitars are concerned, but the astonishing outro is no imitation: it’s something only Biffy themselves could have come up with as a labyrinth of strings and riffs taunt and tease the listener at the utter unpredictability of where it will go next, before finally halting when you least expect it. You’re left devastated and exhausted, but the innovation on display is something to be applauded. An absolutely solid comeback from Biffy Clyro, which has just about sent anticipation for the new album into overdrive.

#review #biffy clyro #that golden rule

[subversed-blog]

Oasis @ the Odyssey - October 2008

#gig pictures #oasis #odyssey #belfast

[subversed-blog]

Gig Review: U2 Conquer Croker

“A sort of homecoming?” One might say that. For Irish rock titans U2 their long awaited return to Dublin’s Croke Park was a triumph of magnificent proportions, as more than 80,000 fans from all corners of the planet brimmed Ireland’s largest stadium.

The open-air venue couldn’t contain the world’s biggest band’s third coming as anthems from U2’s vast back catalogue echoed across the capital. From start to finish the concert was an absolute spectacle, one that would have had to be seen to be believed.

I arrived at ‘Croker’ at about three in the afternoon, and was ecstatic to find that out of a sheer stroke of luck my friends and I were amongst the final fifty to gain pit access. To be within arms reach of our idols was a dream come true, and we later had a front row seat to a few very special moments. Before that came six hours of waiting, queuing and standing around, predictably then, we weren’t immediately thrilled, but when the dust had settled afterwards, there were no regrets. The wait was made all the less agonising as we were treated to the sound check comprising of ‘Elevation’, ‘Until the End of the World’ and ‘Mysterious Ways’ which lifted everyone’s spirits. The latter didn’t quite make it onto the main set list that night, but it was amazing to hear it in some form.

The first support act came in the form of Irish singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey who, after an initial guitar strap blooper, eased into a passionate performance, all the while showering the headliners with adoration.

Next up was the gangly jingle-pop of Scottish crusaders Glasvegas, who weren’t well received at all, to say the least. It was my third time in a year hearing the Glaswegians’ yodel-some anthemics, and I still loathed them. Front man James Allen quips in a thick Scottish incoherence “Are ya’s looking forward tey U2? I think if they stick at it they could be big…” all the while clad in skin-tight leather chaps, a nipple-revealing tank top, trademark sunglasses and a sky-scraping Elvis-come-Morrissey fringe, almost qualifying for being so cringe worthy, it was somehow good, if only for comedic value. His resonating vocals sounded like a seal gargling flan whilst the tedious rhythm section could have numbed a rabid insomniac gorilla into a slumber. Their signature tune ‘Daddy’s Gone’ capped off the set when the singer, for the first time in seeing them three times, stripped himself of the leather jacket and took the microphone away from the stand, before finishing the song laying down, revealing his armpit hair for all of Dublin to see. Lovely.

Before long smoke began to pour from the breathtakingly revolutionary stage structure as the audience were in full voice to David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’: the boys were back in town. Emerging from a tunnel beneath the stage first was drummer Larry Mullen Jr, who founded the band over thirty years ago, followed by bassist Adam Clayton, The Edge and at long last Bono, in typical fanatical form, 80,000 adoring fans instantly captivated by his untamed stage presence.

U2’s latest album, 2009’s No Line On The Horizon may have sold poorly and been only warmly received commercially, but the opening pile driver of four of the albums finest songs in succession; Breathe, No Line On The Horizon, Get On Your Boots and Magnificent had the audience eating out of the palm of their hands.

The career-reviving anthem Beautiful Day was received with a universal ovation after which the apocalyptic romp of Elevation proved an irresistible pogo session where The Edge had the audience completely slain by his effortless riffage. Desire was an awesome sing along, taking everyone back to the Rattle and Hum days followed by a joyous acoustic rendition of Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of. What an opening.

Bono then took a moment to acknowledge the truly extraordinary occasion and apologised to everyone from those in local hospitals to prison inmates. Somehow I think they wouldn’t be complaining after such an explosive statement of Ireland’s sons being back.

After a brief homage to The Dubliners in the form of a cover of The Auld Triangle, U2 drifted into a heartfelt One, easily a highlight of the night. 80,000 singing in unison was a moment where you just had to stop and try to take in the sheer weight of emotion filling the stadium. Simply devastating. The innovative Achtung Baby was further represented with Until The End of The World followed by The Unforgettable Fire’s title track.

As darkness descended upon Croke Park the astonishing 360 degree stage (which was only used in a 270 degree fashion for one reason or another) truly came into it’s own, like a fifth band member; a platform for U2 to exert their status as rock and roll gods. As Larry beat his kit to a bloody pulp, The Edge and Adam strutted coolly across bridges overhead whilst Bono galloped back and forth around the huge walkways like a lunatic. Passion was in the air, you could feel it. The extraterrestrial claw-like structure boasted a huge circular video wall and amazing light effects that just took the songs to another level.

Before launching into How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb’s mere two delegates in Vertigo and City Of Blinding Lights, Bono made a brief phone call to a ‘John’ in the contacts of a phone thrown up on the walkway before tossing the phone back. What a moment that was: “Hello. Are you a boyfriend or brother or something? John? It’s Bono, calling from Croke Park!” Cue deafening laughs and applause from all angles. I was lucky enough to be so close to the walkway that I captured a few photos of the random occurrence.

Then came strangest, most eccentric performance of the night as Larry began hammering bongos whilst walking around the fans to a remix of I’ll Go Crazy… from the new album, amid bizarre ‘bopping’ close-ups of the band’s faces on the screen. Somehow it worked, just about, although everyone was left scratching their heads momentarily.

The set was rounded off with an onslaught of anthems in Sunday Bloody Sunday, Pride, Walk On, Where The Streets Have No Name and Bad before the anti-climax of the three song encore wrapped up a fantastic gig. It was an underwhelming finish, ending on Moment of Surrender but not one person was disappointed with what they’d witnessed. There may have been several glaring omissions in set including New Year’s Day, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For and my personal favourite The Fly, yet there was no doubt that although the grass had been dug up, U2 had reclaimed their home soil.

#gig review #u2 #croke park #dublin

[subversed-blog]

Review: Placebo - Battle for the Sun

The ceaseless solar eclipse that has fuelled Placebo’s sixth album career has finally, as their latest offerings title would suggest, ended. Battle for the Sun sees the band deviate from their recent mournful meandering with synthesizers and instead expand upon their earlier sound, but with squeaky-clean production and stadium-sized ambitions.

For once undoing evolution seemed the viable option. However, don’t expect the raw minimalism of their debut, for this is anything but. At times the three-piece, including new drummer Steve Forrest, sound like a mini-battalion of cyber-punk bluster. Everything but the kitchen sink is thrown at it; sometimes it pays off fantastically, sometimes it falls flat.

Nevertheless, the melodrama has carried through consistently from previous albums. Thankfully though the mellowness hasn’t. This is a thunderous rock record and Placebo deliver many moments of amped-up, skull crushing finesse. The relentless attack of album opener “Kitty Litter” and the xylophone-sprinkled riffage of “The Never Ending Why” fulfil their alt rock obligation effortlessly. Despite clunky lyrics, lead single “For What It’s Worth” is a rousing, danceable stormer propelled by a newfound optimism. A bizarre Tetris sample leads into an infectious refrain, destined to be a highlight of their live shows. 

Additional standouts come in the form of the gut-wrenching “Ashtray Heart”, named after the bands original incarnation and carrying on Kitty Litter’s opening stomp, and “Julien”, which may well be one of Placebo’s best ever tracks. A Meds-esque disco opening erupts into a kick-drum led assault, accompanied by down-tuned guitar work, distanced violin perks and truly inspired vocal from Molko. The double header of “The Never Ending Why” and “Julien” jolts some much-needed momentum into the album after a string of three rather forgettable mid-record duds.

“Devil In The Details” boasts an effective quiet-loud dynamic but strives for a huge finale that it never quite reaches whilst the pulsing bass of “Bright Lights” isn’t enough to give the hopeful number any real direction.

Then there’s this issue of a big sound. “Happy You’re Gone” commits the same felony some other tracks are guilty of and that’s being overblown. The inclusion of the string section is needless at best whereas the title tracks impressive QOTSA-style mechanical opening unfolds into a wearisome sprawl despite early potential.

Make no mistake though, Battle for the Sun is a rejuvenating release from Placebo and the goth-tinged grunge may even win them over a few followers. But I believe if they’d laid down a ‘less is more’ foundation, which is why the highlights pack such a punch, they’d be looking at an album rivalling their best work. Nonetheless Placebo’s sixth album is a more refined, direct offering than the last few long-players and you can be certain that the alt rock veterans will adapt Battle for the Sun into an even more explosive form in their live setting.

#review #placebo #battle for the sun

[subversed-blog]

Gig Review: Oasis @ Slane Castle

Oasis The Prodigy Kasabian Glasvegas The Blizzards

"Biblical". That's how Liam summed it up at the end. I'm inclined to think many a thousand would've agreed after a day where the mothership of British greats old and new descended upon the town of Slane in Ireland. Fourteen years after playing second fiddle to R.E.M. at the same event Oasis were back, with five more albums and many thousand pints of Guiness under their belts. Or in Liam's case, ridiculously long green parkas. The entire event was a magical experience. To such an extent that if it was a dream, and you'd woken up, you'd be more angry that it had yet to happen. Completely surreal. Many a thousand had already fallen to the intoxication by the time Glasvegas' predictably painful three o'clock slot rolled around. Zombified pissheads by the thousand, incapacitated before the music they paid eighty quid to hear had even begun. Only in Ireland. Up first: Kasabian. I'd been looking forward to seeing them since they supported Muse at Marlay Park last year, and with a new album of stormers to tame, it couldn't have been anything less than pure insanity. A flawless set saw an assault of modern Brit-rock institutions and the crowd were right up for it. In the live setting "Fire" is simply another animal. On record the huge riffs, call to arms choruses and general madness is subdued where they are predominate live. It was the undisputed highlight, but "Club Foot", "Empire" and "Vlad The Impaler" all made worthy cases not least because of the spine-tingling backchants. Hearing sixty thousand people shout "We need to raise the people!" isn't something I'll forget in a hurry. "Fast Fuse" and "Shoot the Runner" sustained the manic tempo and "LSF" rounded off a staggering performance from Kasabian at their anthemic best. How does one prepare for Judgement Day? Well, you can't, really. That's sort of the point. The Prodigy's follow-up set was probably the closest I'll ever come to experiencing that myself. "Breathe" was like a sonic kiss of death, which means by that logic "Smack My Bitch Up" was probably the audible equivalent to contracting a deadly STD. I'm looking at you, AIDs. Don't get me wrong though, The Prodigy were fantastic, and worked the crowd really well, but at a certain point you actually have re-evaluate whether or not you'd like to be alive at the end of the gig. The audience were just sadistic at times. If you got sucked into a circle pit you weren't coming back. Not short of enough injuries to count on both hands anyway.

With battle scars intact, we awaited the headliners, the reason we were all there. The first five or six Oasis tunes were just an onslaught of unstoppable energy. "Rock N Roll Star", "Lyla", "The Shock of the Lightning", "Cigarettes and Alcohol" and "Roll With It" consecutively was a mental opening. After that the crowd mellowed out as we sang along to storming rendition of "To Be Where There’s Life" and a blissful "Masterplan". "Songbird" flew by without much reception, but "Slide Away" was a true highlight, despite Liam’s singing the same line three times instead of the right lyrics. The crowd were in full voice for the Definitely Maybe favourite but Noel kicked up the squalling ampage for the next double header. "Morning Glory" provided a nostalgic sing-along and despite barely anyone picking up on forgotten-turned-revived gem "My Big Mouth", it sounded phenomenal so I’m glad the band decided to nourish the hardcore fans with an underrated obscurity. Never had amp-terrorising feedback sounded so wonderful. Liam’s voice was also faultless during My Big Mouth, a lot of people have complained about him during Slane, but to me he sounded on top form. After Noel double dared the crowd not to sing along to "Half The World Away" everyone gave in to the infectious melodies, making for another high point of the gig. Liam returned to deliver a relentless barrage of classics in an inevitably token "Wonderwall", "Supersonic" and finally, finally, finally "Live Forever". The first time I’d heard it live, having seen Oasis only once before. The crowd drowned out the band during this one, incredible. The encore was the same as usual, but no less special. "Don’t Look Back In Anger" was brilliant, "Falling Down" drew an underwhelming reception but "Champagne Supernova" was simply euphoric. Capped off with a great rendition of "I Am The Walrus", the crowd contributed every word as well as the “whoos!” during the chorus, ending an amazing day in style. The painful two mile return trek to the bus was one which everyone was dreading, but a host of fireworks and an an upward hike soundtracked by "Married With Children" at least made it bearable. What a day of music, definitely a hard one to top.

#gig review #oasis #kasabian #the prodigy #glasvegas

[subversed-blog]

Review: Incubus - Black Heart Inertia

It feels like an age since Incubus were last smashing up the rock charts with their clear-cut formula of ultra-melodic alternative. Three years have passed since their last album, "Light Grenades", and as a pit-stop en route to their next studio album, they've announced the release of a 'Best-of' package called 'Monuments and Melodies' commemorating their 18 years together. Black Heart Inertia is the first of two new tracks to be featured on the album, and while it’s a perfectly acceptable addition, they haven't seemed to have taken any risks here. Remaining in their comfort zone, it's a bit of a throwaway track, but it's not without it's merits. The melody is bloodsucking, during the verses. But Brandon's 'can-do-no-wrong' vocals gradually strain to keep a grip on your attention. All it needed was a classic massive Incubus chorus, but sadly the chorus doesn't pack the punch of the verses, coming across almost like a bridge, making for a passive listening experience. Intricate guitar picking is amplified into a treacherously short but ferocious solo, like the calling in of the last gasp shocker pads to zap themselves back into the forefront of your mind. So blistering, and so unexpected as it was that it worked, and had me on edge for the rest of the song, unsure of what other hooks to expect. But sadly the song is carried off into the abyss again by submissive vocals all the way to the finish. It's almost as if they don't want to make an impact with Black Heart Inertia. It's a worthy addition to Incubus' back catalogue, but it’s not an Incubus comeback single. It falls into the trap of many other Greatest Hits bonus tracks: tailor made for a few weeks of airplay, but so uninspired no long lasting impression is ever made. Something to bridge the absence, but unlikely to win them any new fans.

#review #incubus

[subversed-blog]

Review: The Enemy - No Time For Tears

Bloated. Bombastic. Overblown. These are the sort of words being tossed around in reference to The Enemy's new material, and they're all true. And I still can't get enough of this song. It's a sonic behemoth. The musical equivalent to getting bludgeoned with a crowbar between the eyes. I wasn't a fan of their first album. Sure it had heart and soul, but that didn't take away from the fact that it was unlistenable tripe that sounded like it was recorded in a tin shed. Thankfully people liked it enough to finance the follow-up, Music For The People, and that much needed production has amplified the band's entire presence dramatically. A clinky jangle draws in the monstrous intro. The playful melody is hugely misleading, as you soon realise when an air raid of drums firing off like pistons envelopes your entire span of concentration and it becomes clear that the trio who used to slog their indie dross through the airwaves have actually evolved, quite spectacularly. If The Clash had originally written and recorded "Love Spreads", and Oasis covered it during the cocaine-fuelled lunacy of Be Here Now, this is the sound No Time For Tears evokes. Absolutely everything is thrown at it. It has that Gallagher-sneer and swagger of the Sex Pistols, with the craftsmanship of The Roses or The Verve. Tom Clarke sermonizes about "the morning after the revolution", picking up exactly where Definitely Maybe left off. It may not be voicing a generations thoughts like "Cigarettes and Alcohol" but the sheer growth of The Enemy's sound alone is something everyone should stand back and applaud. Just take a moment to stand back and embrace that chorus. Bridged into with soaring choirs and towering guitars, the chorus elevates into unexplored regions for this kind of band and seizes you. Yes it's derivative. Yes it's over-produced. Yes it's clichéd. But in this instance all of that is irrelevent. They've outdone themselves and this blustering menace of a tune will prove to be one you're proud to amplify beyond recognition.

#review #the enemy

[subversed-blog]

Review: Kasabian - Vlad The Impaler

It's been a long wait. Three years in fact, partially shortened by the limited edition "Fast Fuse/Thick As Thieves" vinyl bridge release, but now Kasabian announce their comeback. And what a way to announce it. The ecstatic "Vlad The Impaler" is a declaration of war. A perfect taster of what to expect from the forthcoming album "The West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum". What's more, is that it's on free download from the website, for a limited time only of course, so have a listen while you still can. Now, the song. Well needless to say, it's a stomping return. Fusing the better elements of both previous albums, there's the apocalyptic epicness of Empire pitted in a dogfight with the self-titled debut's pulsating swagger. Seeping in with swathing wah-wahs, a heavy floor-filler beat anchors a venomous bass riff. All the while Tom and Serge joust anarchist lyrical exchanges. Like Zane Lowe said, "There's like twenty four hooks in there!". At times it does feel a little disjointed, like each stock hook could've instead provided a lead single in itself. But instead they decided to lob it all at a wall and make a song out of whatever stuck. In this case every damn syllable sticks like a velcro tennis ball coated in crusty buttermilk, making for a song that absolutely will not budge from your head. Almost like a musical tumour, only not terminally life threatening.

#review #kasabian

[subversed-blog]

Review: Alice In Chains - Rooster

Seminal Seattle titans Alice In Chains were once a force to be reckoned with, a flagship of 90’s alternative rock and the short-lived grunge scene. Before succumbing to a seemingly doomed future of immobility due to singer Layne Staley’s prolonged downward spiral into drug addiction and spawning a brood of replica descendants collectively called ‘post-grunge’, the real thing unleashed a handful of their own chest-bursting anthems. ‘Rooster’ was one amongst a painfully small litter showcasing what Alice were capable of; producing a true staple of bullet-bitten grunge era. If nothing else does, it’s cameo in Terminator Salvation almost two decades after its inception proves its endurance. The creative forces of guitarist Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley grind through shape shifting, alternating segments of barren acoustics and a flood back of demented, riff-driven crescendo. Progressively bleak through Staley’s unmistakably harrowing howls, a final upsurge of crashing drums and deathly wails retreats into a desolate marching murmur as the warped harmonies truly startle. Penned as an ode to Cantrell’s father’s war torn Vietnam experience, Staley’s haunting delivery captures the essence of Cantrell’s embittered reality, epitomising Alice’s unique formula of relentless distortion, dual-vocal dynamics and sparse acoustic fragments. ‘Rooster’ exhibits what many of Alice’s grunge-impregnated offspring have failed to capture: being real. Being innovative. Twenty years down the line no song from the cream of the ‘post-grunge- crop will affect people like ‘Rooster’ still does. Layne Staley may be long gone, but to many he lives on through this, he injects a claustrophobic truth that surfaces amidst the apocalyptic atmosphere the band stir up. Cantrell was the architect, but Staley brought it to life. That is why so many years later, as Alice In Chains embark on a new era, in a new form, ‘Rooster’ still remains such an important piece of their history, and a part of alternative rocks history.

#Review #Alice In Chains

[subversed-blog]

Review: Manic Street Preachers - Your Love Alone Is Not Enough

The Manics have always had a knack for crafting modest pop masterpieces, regardless of which side of the bands enigmatic psyche Richey Edwards known whereabouts. Take for example 1992’s “Motorcycle Emptiness”; lyrical turmoil bathed in delicate lullabies and sun-kissed guitar licks. Ironically enough though, whilst not bleached in such noticeable acidic, jagged-edged angst as their early, career-defining work, the Ritchie-less New Testament boasts just as many “biblical” moments as the Manics of old. With “Your Love Alone Is Not Enough”, the Manics at long last sound hungry again. This is the sound of the Manics exorcising the demons that derailed them through a recent spell of half-realised experimental albums. The football terrace-destined chant may not be the optimum repellent against the “lad rock” label they despise so much, but it offers a shameless pop accessibility that the recent albums lacked. When that relentless hook jousts with the ambition, that recent albums did pack plenty of, through string-laden, fist-in-the-air sensibilities, we realise the Manics are once again rejuvenated, and in doing so they’ve produced what is easily their best work since Everything Must Go. Narrowly missing the UK top spot at number 2, the lead single from Send Away The Tigers blends together the heavenly pipes of James Dean Bradfield and Cardigans vocalist Nina Persson like some euphoric cocktail of fine wines, improving with age. Even Nicky Wire’s universally dreaded drawl isn’t enough to impair the song, it’s his passion that instead makes his single utterance a rather welcome contribution, adding to an already lavish palette of soul-searching and reinvigorating verve. The ‘Street Preachers have mined the peaks of their best material to reclaim the public eye in the same fasion as how the Generation Terrorists did in the beginning. “4 REAL”? It’s the first thing in a decade to come close.

#Review #Manic Street Preachers

[subversed-blog]

Review: Oasis - The Importance of Being Idle

Oasis’ principal songwriter, lead guitarist and chief director Noel Gallagher scored his band’s second consecutive UK number one single in 2005 from their sixth studio album Don’t Believe The Truth with the albums second single, The Importance of Being Idle. With brother Liam completely exempt from the song, Noel claimed vocal duties and wasn’t looking back in anger after securing his first sung chart topper since the ‘Glory days. Titled after a book of the same name that surfaced from a garage clean out in similar vain to its peculiarly named cousin The Hindu Times and parental album Heathen Chemistry (both of which took their names from bizarre t-shirt slogans), the Kinks-esque stomp lyrically sees Noel shamelessly enlightening us on his unabashed laziness. A fitting name, coupled with a suitably slothful staccato rhythm suggests that Gallagher’s mentality has come full circle after Oasis’ mid-90s supremacy plunging into the abyss had him asking “Where Did It All Go Wrong?” Fast-forward five years, however, and all is once again well in the Gallagher realms, to such an extent that Noel has delivered a gleeful homage to his soulful sixties predecessors with The Importance of Being Idle. You’d almost be tempted to grab a chimneysweeper and adopt your best Dick Van Dyke impression over the subsiding falsetto-tinged croon that serves as the verse. An aura of barefaced Britishness bleeds through every pore, as Noel reverts “I don’t mind, as long as there’s a bed beneath the stars that shine” uplifted by fluttering keyboard strokes. A brisk guitar solo breezes through a utopian world, basking in the evening glory of Gallagher’s return to form. The Importance of Being Idle is an infectious slice of midlife Oasis on top of their game: as derivative as they’ll forever be known as, yet as vividly genius as what they’ve become famous for. Recalling everything from Sunny Afternoon to The La’s, the blissful honesty and simplicity also brings about Noel’s most unforced tunefulness since he was at the peak of his Mancunian powers.

#Review #Oasis