Molecules is the latest in a line of admirable EPs from the young Bradford quartet Koala. The band make upbeat and uptempo indie rock songs with influence from all corners such as math and alternative genres. The girl fronted four-piece's sound is certainly one of the most distinctive and unique locally, in a scene often inundated by wave after wave of below par pop-punk bands, Koala produce a blend of tight intricate drums, speedy riffs and floating female vocals which always stays interesting and compelling.
For fans of: Tall Ships // Everything Everything // Foals
The EP starts with 'Prefix' the mix of pleasingly jangly guitar riffs and thundering drums moving through the gears dynamically, shifting from from intricate stuttering math rock, to blistering guitar riffs and build-ups leading to euphoric high points; a great start. The EP then slips into 'Earth, Wind & Jack' joining powerful chords with with whirling riffs and muted guitar. The drums here are also very enjoyably stuttered and jittery. 'Molecules' the title track has some great riffs, perhaps the most catchy lyrics from the EP and exactly the right amount of cowbell. FAT is another highlight from what is overall a very strong EP and has some of my favourite lyrics; shouting "I've drowned that girl"; this combined with the stunning vocal work on the track and guitars centring around fast and furious chords results in probably the best track from the EP.
Overall the sound of the EP is very strong, creating an accomplished feel that can be both intricate and powerful and which belies their years. The vocals are strong throughout and give the tracks of focal point in what can often be quite a hectic mix of sounds and tempos. Likewise, musically the EP stays interesting and complex, often putting shame to many 4 chord generic bands around. Although some of the tracks possibly aren't as distinctive as Molecules and FAT or previous songs such as 'Josephine' and 'Lead Me From This Town' - download that EP here, the tracks are still strong and possibly tighter than earlier releases and result in another one in a great line of releases, here's to a full-length album in the future?
8/10
Tracklist: Prefix Earth, Wind & Jack (only available with a download of the album) Molecules FAT
The band are also playing live in Leeds at The Cockpit on Tuesday 9th July for the Futuresound competition which give bands a chance to play at Reading and Leeds festivals; get along and lend your support!
Witch Hunt are a Leeds based, two piece alt-rock band with a massive sound that belies their modest two guitar and vocal set up. With influences such as Thom Yorke, Portishead and Warpaint, coincidentally some of my favourite artists, the result is an impressive output of atmospheric rock, capable of more restrained and darker songs such as 'Crawl', as well as far more ballsy and rockier tracks such as 'Chairman'. The band first caught my attention as I was trawling through the depths of the 'Live at Leeds' lineup; a festival I was gutted to miss on account of bands such Witch Hunt, Savages, Peace and Everything Everything.
For fans of: Daughter // The White Stripes // Anna Calvi // Warpaint
'Crawl' is a real gem of a track and also the one that I heard first and caught my attention. The guitar-work is intricate and the tone is wonderfully atmospheric and shimmering. The atmosphere of the song is also brilliant, it's spacious, rich and not completely overwashed by reverb (a tool bands like Foals often rely a little too heavily on) showing this song is also very well produced and also proving that rock bands do not need to rely on drums for a great track. Then of course there is the vocals; the lead singer Louisa has a real belter of a voice and this tracks allows it to reach its full potential, allowing her to hang on notes, complementing the vast echo of the track. The lyrics similarly are wonderfully dark and complementary to the feel of the track, also remaining the right side of relatable and compelling without straying into cliche territory.
9/10
'Chairman' is a slightly different beast, this track dominated by drums and a killer riff. The drums are very interesting and a little unorthodox on this track (putting me in mind of 'Stepson' by Foals) showing this is more than your average rock track. The dual guitars taking high and lower pitches provide solid riffs throughout, but these along with several subtle alterations to the riffs, song structure and fading in and out of drums in this song, do more than enough to lift it far away from mundanity and keep it interesting - a skill that has often become the trademark of bands such as Radiohead and certainly a welcome addition to this track. The vocals here are also different, slightly lower and grittier but just as capable of delivering a raw punch of volume and emotion into the lyrics.
8/10
The band are also playing live at the following dates:
08/07 Cockpit - Leeds - Future Sound Competition * - Tickets 13/07DV8 Festival - York 21/07 Tramlines Festival - Sheffield 27/07 Fell Foot Sound Festival - The Lake District
* Here the band will be playing for a place to play Reading and Leeds Festivals, go along and support!
Here it is, Trouble Will Find Me. My most anticipated and indeed one of the most anticipated albums of the year. The album was never actually planned as such, as the band were planning to have a four year break after the breakthrough commercial success of High Violet which placed The National near the top of the old guard of indie rock - this record however truly establishes them as at the top of their game, that very few bands can compete with. The relaxed composition of this album doesn't exactly break the mold of The National's style but refines it, showing a band slightly less ill at ease with their success. Having said that, the old insecurities still remain as Matt sings of the skeletons beneath his skin and the the trials of life.
For fans of:The Antlers /Sharon Van Etten /Interpol / St Vincent / Arcade Fire
This album in tradition with other National albums is a grower, you plug away at it and discover new aspects, melodies of the songs that resonate musically and emotionally the more you listen and before long are buried in the back of your head; there are no cheap singles or chart monsters that are separated by filler, this is start to finish the prime example of a great album.
The album starts with a good indication of what is to follow; I Should Live In Salt, contains Matt's vocals straying higher than he has before and feels relaxed, sonically rich and lyrically more personal. On the subject of the album's lyrics, although they are not the best Matt has written, such as those on High Violet and Alligator and Boxer, they are certainly more personal and indeed more relatable - something the band is often targeted on, by writing about the day to day trials of middle aged, middle class men; however the lyrics can resonate with anyone and so often you can find a line that just captures a certain moment in your life then your own words never could. Here Matt's writing is at its peak in songs such as Pink Rabbits, Don't Swallow The Cap and This is The Last Time.
Similarly the vocal melodies are not as insatiably catchy as in High Violet but have a much greater variety such as coupling Matt's vocals with those of Annie Clark and Sharon Van Etten and the mass vocals of Sea Of Love which capture and energy not felt since tracks such as Abel or Mr November on Alligator. The versatility of Matt's own vocals is also tested more than in previous albums, showing its not just 'more of the same'; with his deepest rich baritone of Demons to the floating higher vocals of Pink Rabbits.
This album is all about subtlety, the overall timbre and feel of the record is a rich, dense and lush sound which seamlessly integrates electronic elements such as synths and drum machines with the natural elements of acoustic accounts and the intricate drumming of Bryan Devendorf. These lush soundscapes are best seen on the comparatively stripped down tracks of Slipped and the album's outro Hard To Find. The subtlety continues in the small changes to tracks that just lift them into something more interesting and compelling; for example the 7/4 time signature of Demons, the up tempo shift in Humiliation and also the mini outro of This Is Not The Last Time.
Many of these songs also draw from much of The National's previous work. For example; Fireproof could easily be on Boxer, This Is The Last Time has echoes of Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers, Sea of Love has a big Alligator vibe and energy to it, and Pink Rabbits could sit among the best of High Violet. This gives the album not quite a compilation feel but one that makes this album possibly the most self-assured and coherent example of 'what are The National.'
Its clear this album is very good, not only does it have the trademark gravitas and class that The National have brought to their last three albums, its is still accessible to all National fans and indeed anyone who has just discovered them. This is not boring, middle aged man music but a down to earth, rivetting, intimate and at moments even sublimely profound collection of songs that are some of the best anyone could hope to hear.
What is perhaps most startling is that the National seem to be a band that can do no wrong, after the slightly lackluster debut, every album since has been very good, the last four albums of Alligator, Boxer, High Violet and Trouble Will Find Me have been exceptional, the antithesis of one hit-wonder indie bands and pop acts at the mercy of the music press. This album is a refinement of everything The National have done so far, drawing upon aspects of all of their best works to create an album which although admittedly is not their best album, it does not need to be anything groundbreaking and showcases exactly why the band is one of the best indie-rock bands of the 21st Century and how there is no one close to matching the consistently brilliant calibre of music that they do.
(To download: right click link > save link as > save MP3 to computer)
The National are also playing venues in the UK for touring the album. I managed to get tickets for the Manchester gig at the 02 Apollo which sold out in about 20 minutes! There are still a few tickets left for the London shows and are certainly worth the money. I will also do a review of the gig in Manchester in November.
We're back! And this time around we've got even bigger plans:
We're pleased to announce that we will be branching out into recording basic acoustic/small scale demo sessions for local artists free of charge as well as providing producing and extra exposure for other bands. Its not exactly a record label but we hope to help artists put out material.
We're also looking for more people to contribute to the blog in terms of music blogging and reviews - no previous experience needed, just a real enjoyment for music!
Coming up soon we also have reviews of the latest albums from, The National and Savages, as well as a summer playlist and another review of this year's Latitude Festival.
If you are a local artist or band that would like to record some acoustic songs, or are interested in contributing to the blog, please contact: villainousfolk@outlook.com
And as usual we are always on Facebook // Soundcloud
