Tag: album review

Wisecrack – Pining for the Road

Pining for the Road

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

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

Album artwork for London Calling

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

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.

Guns n’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction

Very few bands have had as turbulent a history as Guns n’ Roses. In the golden years of Guns, which were indisputably the late 80’s up until the very early 90’s, their wild and tempestuous nature earned them the nickname “The Most Dangerous Band In The World”. They were the dark horse of the Hollywood rock scene – not quite glam rock, not quite punk rock, but hell bent on creating their own unique sound.

Los Angeles was the place where Guns n’ Roses began their epic rise to international stardom, and in a small rehearsal space in the seediest, most decadent corner of L.A, they practiced a selection of songs that would soon form one of the greatest Rock n’ Roll albums ever conceived.

 

And on July 21, 1987, it was born.

 

This is Slash's original artwork for the cover of Appetite For Destruction.

Appetite For Destruction vinyl album cover, with Slash’s original artwork.
Photograph by Henrik Djärv

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ironically enough, the album was not an immediate hit. Sure, it racked up plenty of sales figures, but they were by no means instantaneous. However, sales of the album picked up pace when GNR started playing more and more of the album live, and now it’s sold more than 28 million copies worldwide, and hit platinum in the U.S.A not once, not twice, but EIGHTEEN times.

The album encompasses twelve classic tracks, including the globally renowned “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “Welcome To The Jungle” and the lesser known but equally brilliant “Think About You”. Some might even say that this is a greatest hits album in itself. Every song is as raw and evocative as the one preceding it, and every member of the band is joined in a glorious unification of debauchery, passion and rage. This was the period of time before GNR began coming apart at the seams – before drugs and alcohol had sunk their claws deeper into the band, and before they knew how each of them would react to super-stardom.

At this point the comradery was unbreakable – you can almost hear it in the music. This is one reason why the album stands out as one of the greats. They were there for each other through thick and thin, and without any strife or friction between each member, they were a real hot prospect in 80’s Hollywood.

In my opinion, their bonds to each other brought out some of their finest qualities. Duff Mckagan’s basslines are expertly crafted, with that unique bass tone, he sticks to drummer Steven Adler like glue. Between them they create a rythmn section that is somehow both aggressive and groovy at the same time.

How they managed that, I have no idea.

Axl’s trademark wail is, as we know it can be, banshee-like in it’s volume and range. Slash’s guitar playing also seems subtly more vibrant and bluesy than his later work, and Izzy was there behind the scenes making the songs work with his superlative songwriting talents and well-placed guitar chops.

Of course this album is, in a strange way, the pride before the fall – it put them in the brightest spotlight, a place that they were doomed never to leave until the each member of the band slowly dispersed throughout the 90’s. Nevertheless, Gun’s n’ Roses continue to make great music to this day, and in the later years, although tensions in the band could run high at times, the music never really suffered.

Because in the eyes of GNR, and the eyes of all us religious fans, the music is what matters.

 

Green Day – iDos!

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!

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.

The Popdogs – Cool Cats For Pop Dogs

The city of Lincoln produces some great local bands, and these local bands can create some truly jaw-dropping tunes. Most people have a saddening habit of overlooking local music, so lets move the spotlight onto one Lincoln-based band that has me VERY excited.

Today I’ll be reviewing the upcoming debut album of a group of very clever canines who really shouldn’t be overlooked, no matter who you are, or what music you like.

 

I mean come on, throw the dog a bone.

 

This is the album artwork for The Popdog's new album - Cool Cats For Pop Dogs.

The Popdogs upcoming debut album:
Cool Cats For Pop Dogs

 

From Lincoln-based power-pop band The Popdogs comes the stunning new album, Cool Cats For Pop Dogs. The album features ten terrific tunes, including the seriously catchy “Queen Of The U.S.A”, and my personal favourite, the metrical and melodious “Honest Guy”.

The songs are simply structured for the most part, but that just adds to the seamless flow that every song possesses. Easy-listening, tuneful, and catchy as hell. It would be prudent to mention the classic power-pop guitar work in this album; the whole collection of songs is rife with bright melodies and well-articulated chords.

Each song retains the classic nuances of The Knack, R.E.M, The Beatles and The Byrds amongst other great power-pop bands, but with subtle modernisations that make the genre more accessible. For example, you won’t find the dominant bass riffs that this genre of music is known for (My Sharona by The Knack is a good example here), nor will you hear constant vocal harmonisation. What you WILL hear, are bright arpeggios in just the right places, and vocal harmonies being used to enhance choruses and other key parts in the songs.

It is, in my opinion, a very efficient and attractive design.

Other identifiable aspects of The Popdogs music include a real sense of rhythm. I challenge you to listen to their track “Kelly’s On” without bobbing your head along with it. Some of their songs are driven by punchy sequences of power chords for the melodies to float on and weave around. If you listen to Poison Heart by The Ramones, you’ll notice that The Popdogs have a bit of punk pedigree too.

Onto aesthetics, and you cannot deny, the album artwork is also pretty damn cool.

Have you ever seen a more awesome looking dog?

 

As far as the band goes, James Styring is the man behind the microphone providing those classic pop vocals, something which he does phenomenally well. Those bright guitar chops you hear are courtesy of  Mr Tim McKeating.

Once again, the album is called Cool Cats For Pop Dogs. You can find The Popdogs on Facebook, and you can find them on Reverbnation. Check ’em out, and give them your support.

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