Paul Battison – TREMORS

Wisecrack – Pining for the Road

December 14, 2012 Paul Battison

Folk punk is a unique genre of music. It touches on two ends of the musical spectrum—on one hand it can be easy listening and perfect for just sitting back and admiring but on the other, the raw energy can make you just want to get up and go. Lincoln based folk punk band Wisecrack, get the balance inch perfect on their debut album, Pining for the Road.

Pining for the Road

The three-piece act mix folk, punk and country brilliantly to create merry ‘drinking songs.’ Their lyrics are ‘political and anti-fascist’ but send out positive messages which add to the vibrant, uplifting feel of the album. This theme runs throughout Pining for the Road from start to finish, and the album has an uncanny knack of leaving you in a very jolly mood after listening through it. The band cite acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Frank Turner and Chuck Ragan as their main inspirations and different aspects of these great musician’s style shine though in Wisecrack’s music. The band do a brilliant job of drawing from their influences to create their own infectious sound which reverberates through the whole of Pining for the Road.

The opening track, 7 Day Hangover, is a nice blend of electric and acoustic guitars and gets the album off to the perfect start. It’s a real feel good tune and the type of song you’d find yourself singing with your friends after one too many beers. You know you’re in for a treat when Wisecrack front man Matt Colwell sings:

“We’ve partied hard and then we crashed the cars, all that’s left is an empty room, these six strings and a hungover afternoon.”

The second track, Angel With Two Right Wings, is perfectly structured with a slow, quiet, acoustic build up that springs to life in the chorus in the shape of electric guitars and an attack on right-wing politics. The use of a banjo in the chorus also adds to the depth of the song, and illustrates Wisecrack’s ability to combine different instruments and musical genres effortlessly to create their own recognisable sound.

Don’t Pray for Me is a catchy but meaningful song with a good chord progression and a smart guitar harmony layered over the top. Matt Colwell voices his opinions on religion with the thought provoking line:

“This is God’s country and we’re supposed to be his children but there’s better fathers in prison.”

The title track of the album, Pining for the Road, is a highlight of the album and much like the opening track, is very upbeat and carries a lot of energy. The song contains the signature punk rock formula of quick palm-muting in the verses followed by the ringing out of chords in the choruses. It’s about the band’s love of travelling and touring whilst playing music.

Towards the end of the album, another standout track is the hugely infectious Sunflower Song. It contains elements of ska, folk and punk and to put it in the words of the band themselves, they once said:

“It’s impossible to listen to it without a smile on your face.”

Overall Pining for the Road is a fine album and Wisecrack are a band that Lincoln can be proud of. They have a big love for music and this radiates through the album. It sends out messages about important issues such as politics and religion, but it does it in a positive way and inspires the listener to just enjoy music and have a good time.

For me, this is what music should be about and the world needs more bands like Wisecrack.

The Clash – London Calling

December 5, 2012 Paul Battison

In many people’s eyes, The Clash are the definitive punk band. They are widely regarded as the best punk band of all time and have influenced countless acts and musicians. In many ways The Clash were to punk what the late Michael Jackson was to pop—revolutionary. With this analogy it would be fair to say that the Clash’s third studio album, London Calling, was their very own ‘Thriller.‘

London Calling was released in the UK in December 1979 and in the United States a month later. The album helped propel The Clash to great heights and it wasn’t long before they were being branded ‘The Only Band That Matters’. Since then the Clash have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and have been voted 28th on the list of the ‘greatest artists of all time’ by Rolling Stone. London Calling has sold over five million copies worldwide and has been certified platinum in the United States.

The Clash took a different approach with London Calling and expanded on their punk style and sound, which showed through so prominently on their previous two albums, The Clash and Give ‘Em Enough Rope. London Calling contained many more elements from the musical spectrum such as: ska, reggae, jazz, pop and rockabilly. It’s crammed with stand-out tracks and all 19 songs on the album live long in the memory for one reason or the other.

Album artwork for London Calling

The opening and title track of the album London Calling, was the first single released from the album. It contains a reggae influenced bass line which creates a dark, dingy, haunting feel to it. This reflects the late Joe Strummer’s lyrics in the song which voice concerns about world events at the time, such as police brutality and rising debt levels. The second track, Brand New Cadillac, is more upbeat and is a cover of a Vince Taylor song. It’s a rock and roll song with a blues riff and the band cite it as being ‘one of the first British rock ‘n’ roll records.’

Rudie Can’t Fail, the fifth track from London Calling, contains the Clash’s signature punk/reggae sound with an added element of ska. This is evident in the horn section of the song which helps to create a very uplifting sound. The song is about a young man who challenges his elders’ way of life and decides to live life his own way, such as ‘drinking booze for breakfast.’

Other ska inspired songs on the album include Lost in the Supermarket and Spanish Bombs—the latter being inspired by events that took place in the Spanish Civil War. The Clash illustrate their musical diversity further on the tracks The Card Cheat and Train in Vain. The Card Cheat is different to most other songs on the album as it encompasses a grand piano but despite the experimentation in the song, it fits right at home on London Calling with all the others. Train in Vain rounds the album off nicely with a very catchy, pop inspired sound.

In truth every single song on the album stands out for all the right reason including the jazz inspired, aptly named Jimmy Jazz and the quite brilliant Guns of Brixton. Sometimes when bands experiment with certain songs, they don’t fit in—they don’t feel at home on the album. What’s important and unique about London Calling is that The Clash weren’t experimenting with their sound as such—they were expanding it. They were pushing and stretching the limits of the punk genre as far as it would go and because of this, they created arguably the finest punk rock record ever made. Every song on the album feels exactly right at home.

The Clash are one of the most important British bands of all time. They have helped keep punk alive by influencing many of the punk rock bands around the world today, such as Green Day and Rancid. Without The Clash and in particular, without London Calling, punk wouldn’t have just ‘died’ a long, long time ago—it would hardly have been born.

Lunchband @ The Jolly Brewer

November 25, 2012 Paul Battison

There’s been a lot of indie bands which have sprouted around the UK after bands such as the Arctic Monkeys exploded on to the scene seven years ago. With the amount of indie bands around, it takes something extra special or different to stand out from the crowd—something unique.

On live evidence, London quartet Lunchband have the potential to be that something.

I was cold, wet and miserable when I got to the Jolly Brewer in Lincoln after trudging through the wind and rain to get there. It didn’t take long to warm up and dry off though because as soon as the first band hit the stage, the place throbbed with excitement. The Unknown Stuntmen were the support act for the night—a five-piece band who seemed to mix a number of genres, creating an exciting blend of music which kept the audience captivated. To put it in their own words:

“The Unknown Stuntmen are a collection of pirates that picked up an instrument each, tuned their vocal strings and set sail for anywhere that would have em”.

Their mixture of pop, folk and rock ‘n’ roll, with a hint of Spanish guitar playing, was a recipe for success with the audience either watching attentively or dancing the night away.

With three vocalists in the band, two males and one female, there’s a good variety in their sound with their voices and harmony’s complimenting each other nicely. I caught up with the rhythm guitarist, Dave, after their show to find out a little more about the band. He described them as being influenced by “anything with a good melody” and cited artists such as “The Beatles” and “Beethoven” as major influences. By being influenced by such popular and respected musicians as these, it’s easy to see why the audience took so kindly to the The Unknown Stuntmen.

Cover art for Lunchband’s EP: Rabbits, Princes, Phantom’s & Beaches

In the interval, after everyone had topped their beers up, the crowd started to gather in anticipation for the headline act of the night, Lunchband. Lunchband are a four-piece act from London but many of the band members originate from Lincoln. This made the show that little bit more special for the band and it shone through in their performance. Mixing indie, electronica and folk rock together, the band create a signature sound which is very appealing to both old and young. Listening to them, you can see they’ve been influenced by popular mainstream indie acts of today, such as Arcade Fire, but there’s also some 60’s rock in there in the shape of the Kinks.

The band played songs off their EP which was released earlier this year in July called Rabbits, Princes, Phantom’s & Beaches. The song Rabbit Run is a very easy listening song with a catchy guitar melody layered over the top of a nice chord sequence. My Prince has a strong, bouncy bass line similar to that from the Killer’s song, Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine. Throughout the set, lots of the bands influences shine through ranging from indie band Foals to 80’s electronic band, Depeche Mode. The band do a great job of knitting their influences sounds together to create their own brand of music, which stands out from most of the other indie bands around at the moment.

Lunchband are an interesting band with bags of potential. The gig was billed as Lunchband’s ‘homecoming gig’. I expect that there were a lot of people in the Jolly Brewer last night who will be eagerly counting down the days until Lunchband next come ‘home’.

Green Day – iDos!

November 13, 2012 Paul Battison

After a career spanning nearly 25 years, most bands are usually sat with their feet up, raking in the cash from the release of a greatest hits collection by now.

Not Green Day.

The evergreen (no pun intended), American, punk rock giants are in the middle of releasing a studio album trilogy with the second installment of the series, iDos!, being released in the UK yesterday. The first part, iUno!, was released only last month where as the final chapter of the trilogy, iTre!, comes next month on December 7th to complete the series.

Cover art for iDos!

Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong has described iDos! as being “more garage rock—a little dirtier like you’re in the middle of a party” and after a few listens, it’s easy to see where he’s coming from. The title of the second track, F*** Time, definitely echoes Billie Joe’s thoughts. The song, in a nutshell, is about sex, which is illustrated in Armstrong’s spicy lyrics “You know I really wanna make you mine, Oh baby baby, it’s f*** time”. The song delves into 60’s rock and roll with its catchy blues riffs and solos and is reminiscent of the style of Green Day’s side project, Foxboro Hot Tubs. In fact, a recurring theme throughout the album is the similarities in its sound to Foxboro Hot Tubs, and this differs from the previous release in the three-part trilogy, iUno!, which has a more punk rock vibe to it.

The fourth song on the album, Lazy Bones, is one of the only songs on iDos! which carries Green Day’s full signature sound and could quite easily sit on many of their previous album releases. It contains a chord sequence which has been plucked straight from American Idiot’s, Give Me Novacaine, and has the chord changes and catchy choruses which Green Day have been writing all their careers.

With bass player Mike Dirnt appearing on the artwork for iDos!, I was expecting a big input from him on the album and he obliges on the tracks Makeout Party and Stray Heart. Both songs stand out in particular because of Dirnt—especially the lead single from the album, Stray Heart, which is driven by his signature bouncy, bass lines.

Towards the end of the album there are a few fillers—especially the track Nightlife which comes complete with guest vocals from Lady Cobra—the singer from the band Mystic Knights of the Cobra. The song is very experimental by Green Day’s standards in that it features Lady Cobra rapping and it could be questioned whether it fits in with the garage/60’s rock theme of the album. The final track, Amy, is a fitting way to end the album however. It’s a mellow ending so could be compared to Nimrod’s Good Riddance in that sense. If you pay close attention to the lyrics too, you get the sense that the song might just be dedicated to the late soul singer Amy Winehouse.

Overall iDos! is a good album from Green Day. It might not be as solid as some of their previous albums, and it certainly has a different feel to it, but having released ten studio albums now, the band can’t keep churning out the same material. The overwhelming feel from the album trilogy so far is that Green Day are having fun again and they have taken a new direction after the politically themed albums, American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. With a career spanning nearly 25 years, some would forgive them for having a little fun.

It doesn’t look like they’ll be sitting with their feet up, raking in the cash from a greatest hits collection (post International Superhits), any time soon.

This Week’s Top Picks – 9th November

November 9, 2012 Paul Battison

Ryan Keen – Back to the Ocean

by Luke Botham.

If you’ve not heard of Ryan Keen, then it could easily be argued that your ears have missed out –big time. This year’s been a pretty amazing year for the Devon born singer/songwriter. Not only has he been on tour, had his music played multiple times on radio 1, and toured the UK, but he’s also received rave reviews and released a new EP just this week.

He’s an incredibly talented guitar player, and the calm and rhythmic way he uses it supplements and compliments his voice so well. His lyrics too are amazing, if you listen you can genuinely hear them pouring from his heart. They’re super personal and could be related to by so many people, and these are also perfect for his soft, calm, soothing voice. The obvious highlight of this EP, of course, is Ryan’s collaboration with Newton Faulkner on Reflections in the Water. Their voices, whilst slightly separate, do almost become one perfect uber voice on this song. And it’s amazing – it really proves both artists’ talents as singers and shows the Ryan Keen is a name you should be watching out for. If I had to compare him to anyone, aside of course from Newton, I’d say he has some slight similarities to Ben Howard, and that’s really nice to hear!

For more info on Ryan, you can check out his Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.

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My Chemical Romance – Number One

By Paul Battison.

American alternative rock band, My Chemical Romance, have been branded as a lot of things over the years. From post-hardcore, to ’emo’, to pop punk—what they’ve always consistently been is unique. They seem to reinvent themselves and their sound for whichever new album they are releasing. However they appear or sound though, most importantly, one thing always stays the same: their fans stay loyal. For their latest release then, a double sided single called Number One, things should be no different and there’s a good reason for this which I’ll get to.

Number One is part of a ten-song series of material called Conventional Weapons which will be released over the next five months. All of the material is previously unheard and on first listen, it sounds like My Chemical Romance have drew inspiration from their previously released albums which will please fans of the band. The A-side single, Boy Division, could quite easily sit alongside songs such as Give ‘Em Hell, Kid and Thank You For The Venom on their 2004 hit album, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. It’s a punk rock song which brims with energy angst filled lyrics. The B-side single, Tomorrow’s Money, would be more comfortable sitting on the band’s last studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys. It’s very upbeat and catchy and after only a couple of listens, you’ll find it sitting comfortably, laid back feet up, inside your head.

Number One is a solid release from the band and leaves you yearning for the next installment in the ten-song series. My Chemical Romance reinvent themselves so often, you’re often left with the question of “what next?” from band. With this release, it’s no different. They have so many styles and personas they can call upon when writing music, which direction the four-piece act from New Jersey is going to take next, is anyone’s guess.

You can find out more about the band by checking out their Facebook, or following their Twitter.

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Christmas Songs!

by Luke Botham

You might have read this title and had to look twice. But you’re not seeing things – this year’s first big Christmas album, Now That’s What I Call Christmas 2012, was actually released earlier this week. It’s jam packed with everyone’s favourite Christmas songs, and let’s be honest, who can listen to the likes of Last Christmas and I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day and resist singing along? And even though it’s been released rather early, it is nice to see an album full of merry and seasonal tunes dropped in to the charts in comparison to some of the slightly grimmer songs that are out this week.

The only thing really bad about this album is the age of some of the tunes, which really are miles past their sell by date now! But there are a few people trying to remedy this situation this year. 90s boy band Backstreet Boys have released a brand new Christmas song –and it’s their comeback single! Whilst it is very cheesy, it’s surprisingly rather catchy, upbeat enough to work as a Christmas song, and you’ll almost definitely have it stuck in your head for hours after a few listens.

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