alex-themusicguy-blog

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

Albums of the Year 2017: 30-26

30: How Did We Get So Dark - Royal Blood

A good showing from the Brighton duo on their second album, but not enough to make an album quite as memorable as their debut. The tricks that impressed on ‘Royal Blood’ are expected and don’t deliver their punches with the same power as on the first album. However, if you were bursting at the seams waiting for more of the same from Royal Blood, then you must be sitting very happy right now.

29: Sick Scenes - Los Campesinos!

I was introduced to LC! by a friend and what an introduction it was. Surely one of the best ‘never-heard-before’ bands around at the moment, and ‘Sick Scenes’ confirms this fact. A fully developed album oozing class and hooks galore, Sick Scenes is a release you can’t afford to ignore.

28: DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar

You don’t get much bigger than Kendrick Lamar at the moment. Its been a busy, crazy year, but I haven’t encountered anyone who hasn’t at least heard a few tracks from this album, such is the sheer size of his audience. The album itself is exceptional, and very worthy of all the praise and attention directed its way.

27: The Far Field - Future Islands

Future Islands are one of my favourite groups, and so a new 2017 album was always going to make my top album list, but I was dissapointed to not be able to place it higher up the list. A good album for sure, but it certainly doesn’t have anything on the 2014 album ‘Singles’. ‘Shadows’ featuring Debbie Harry is the absolute highlight of this release.

26: Gang Signs and Prayer - Stormzy

I was far, far, far too late to jump onto the Stormzy bandwagon, but when I did I sat on said bandwagon kicking myself for the rest of the journey. I never expected such a fantastic album to come out of the grime scene, but thats my fault for never giving it the attention it deserves. I’ll never be upset to be proved wrong if every artist I’ve previously slated released an album as good as this one. Truly an album that has captured British society so well in 2017

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

Best Albums of 2016

Part 3

10. Coloring Book - Chance the Rapper

9. Leave Me Alone - Hinds

8. A Moon Shaped Pool - Radiohead

7. Post Pop Depression - Iggy Pop

6. Ellipsis - Biffy Clyro

5. The Dream Is Over - PUP

4. Nothing’s Real - Shura

3. Hamburg Demonstrations - Peter Doherty

2. Blackstar - David Bowie

1. Everything You’ve Come To Expect - The Last Shadow Puppets

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

Best Albums of 2016

Part 2

20. blond - Frank Ocean

19. On My One - Jake Bugg

18. Trick - Jamie T

17. Beautiful Lies - Birdy

16. Writings of Blues and Yellows - Billie Marten

15. Joanne - Lady Gaga

14. Femejism - Deap Vally

13. Debutante - Femme

12. A Spanner In The Works - Beans On Toast

11. Take Control - Slaves

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

The Best Albums of 2016

Part 1

30. Very Rarely Say Die - Sunset Sons

29. Love & Hate - Michael Kiwanuka

28. Not To Disappear - Daughter

27. Love You To Death - Tegan & Sara

26. Everything Is My Family - Crystal Fighters

25. Adore Life - Savages

24. Blossoms - Blossoms

23. Babes Never Die - Honeyblood

22. Revolution Radio - Green Day

21. Gameshow - Two Door Cinema Club

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

Beans On Toast @ Fruit, Hull

Wednesday 23rd November 2016

Cult folk icon Beans on Toast gave Fruit a real treat this November with a small, intimate gig, showcasing his best work. From the rather downbeat opener '2016', all the way through to closer 'The Price Of Rice', Beans had the attention of the whole audience. Breaking his set, and even some of his songs, up with regular rants going off on various tangents, I can safely say that should BoT ever decide to give up the music, there is a very promising career for him in stand up comedy. Highlights of the show included The War on War, It's Only Natural, MDMAmazing, and Leonard Cohen cover Everybody Knows, which was performed with his support acts for the night Sky Smeed and Tensheds.

This was my first Beans On Toast show, but if every show he does has the same friendly laid back atmosphere, quality stage chatter and great songs, then I think I will be seeing a lot more of Beans on Toast as the years go on.

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

Fickle Friends @ Fruit, Hull

Friday 18th November 2016

Fickle Friends are a five piece indie pop group from Brighton. That’s a fact.

Fickle Friends make beautifully upbeat and positive music that is awfully vital to us all at this current time. That's another fact.

This gig was under attended and a whole load of people missed out on the chance to make their November 2016 a little bit sunnier, yet another fact.

Warm up band Vague were sensational, filling their slot with some fantastic indie bangers. Keep an eye out for these guys in the future. It is a shame that the same could not be said for Huntar. Playing mediocre club tracks to a half assed room of punters through a laptop was never going to end well, and it sure didn't. I could barely bring myself to stay stood up for the whole of his performance and so made a beeline for the bar instead. Finally Fickle Friends entered the room and all seemed right with the world for 10 songs.  Big hit 'Cry Baby' was deployed to kick start proceedings drawing a naturally warm reception from the Humberside crowd. 2015 track 'Could Be Wrong' was played next, one that may not survive for future shows as the debut album approaches. Two tracks were played from the upcoming album, 'Bite' and 'Hello Hello', with lead singer Natassja Shiner informing us that they were both written just the week before. Neither song showed signs of their young age and both successfully filled the room with great optimism for the new album. 'Paris', 'Freak', and 'Velvet' all filled 15 minutes of the show and were warmly received, without particularly igniting the crowd. Finally FF dropped their huge summer anthem 'Swim' sending the whole of Fruit into a dance. Such a strong song will surely propel this band even further up the ranks of the indie world. 'Brooklyn' was the song of choice to close out the show, setting a proud, defiant tone for the last 5 minutes. Proud, strong and defiant. Adjectives not often used for a young indie pop band, but it is not often that we are gifted one this good.

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

Slaves @ Fruit, Hull

Monday 19th September 2016

Slaves coming to Fruit was always going to be a fantastic gig.

As soon as The Back In The Van tour was announced, I knew I had to be there, and so did about 299 other people. A tour where all of the cities who are forgotten on most bands UK tours would be visited, and tickets would be priced at a sensational £1.99. If you ever needed something to sum up the ethos and beliefs of Slaves as a pair, this is it.

And so as one of the first through the door, I went straight to the merchandise (via the bar) and was greeted by not only Slaves merchandise, but also items from guitarist Laurie Vincent's clothing line, such is their wide range of talents as a pair.

Before long we had our first support act, Mannequin Death Squad. A two piece like Slaves, and evidently nervous, the pair from Australia eventually tore the stage apart after a slow start. El began on guitar and lead vocals, and Dan on drums, before getting up halfway through the set and swapping instruments. A bold move, but one that paid off as the audiences interest was reinvigorated and the kept the show fresh. All things considered, it was a fantastic set from a relatively unknown band. Keep an eye for more things to come from MDS, but 'Eat Hate Regurgitate' is out now.

Now, with myself not being a local from Hull, I have never heard of Life. Foolishly I assumed they would be another half assed indie band from somewhere unimportant. So as they entered the stage to huge cheers and applause I knew I had misjudged this band before they'd even started. Life are clearly big on their local Hull live circuit, as every other teen and young adult seemed to know the words. This kind of fan base, along with a sensationally captivating frontman, and some really great tunes gave me my best support slot performance since Findlay for Miles Kane in 2013. Hull loves Life.

9 o'clock approached as the Slaves' play mats were put out on the stage, quickly followed by a sparkly red drum kit, and a guitar pedal board fit for a NASA mission to Mars. The lights dimmed and 'I Shine My Shoes With A Dirty Vest' blares out over the PA system. Before you know what's happened, you have Isaac Holman in a tiny pair of red Adidas boxing shorts screaming 'Sockets' in your face. Such was the intimacy of the venue, my friend recounted a number of times how Isaac's sweat had landed on his face; truly the stuff of dreams.

Older songs 'Suicide' and 'White Knuckle Ride' followed next and continue to hit home hard. New song 'Take Control' lacked a strong footing, but a simple chorus made sure it wasn’t a total dud. A switch from guitar to bass for Laurie led us into the mammoth 'Cheer Up London' and the whole of Fruit bounced in unison. 'Spit It Out', another song from the upcoming album, fared better than 'Take Control'. More cuts from the unreleased third album, 'Bad Machine' and 'Rich Man', were well received, but were understandably not able to hit the heights of anything from 'Sugar Coated Bitter Truth' or 'Are You Satisfied?'.

The final run in of five songs practically tore the roof off. The primal 'Hey' had everyone screaming along to "HEY, WATCH OUT FOR THOSE KIDS, THEY'LL TEAR YOU APART", before a slightly (and I mean slightly) more gentle singalong for 'Are You Satisfied?'. The best track from Slaves' first album, 'Beauty Quest', was pulled off with absolutely killer accuracy and ferocity. While Slaves can sometimes lack in the song writing department, they will give every ounce of blood and sweat to their songs, live and on the record. 'Beauty Quest' is maybe the best exception to this rule, displaying excellent song writing as well as an unbelievable intensity. 'Girl Fight' was thrown at Hull next, but not before singer/drummer Isaac had told the crowd a short story giving background to the 13 seconds of song they were about to play.

Slaves know how to end a gig. They really do. The riff of 'The Hunter' was allowed to swell and fill the room on its own before the rest of the song kicked in, and when it kicked in, there was nothing that could stop the two men possessed on stage, or the bloodthirsty fans that had filled this unsuspecting venue on a Monday night.

They left the stage with everyone in the room wanting more, but I'm sure if you asked anyone in Fruit, "Are you satisfied?", I'm certain they would have said yes. Come back soon Isaac and Laurie.

Photo Credit @AlexStuartJohno on Twitter

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

Today's radio show, full of classics and fab new tracks. Features Radiohead / The Rolling Stones / St Vincent / Tame Impala / The Magic Gang Enjoy x

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

MONDAY MIX NUMBER 14 FEATURES THE WHITE STRIPES, CAGE THE ELEPHANT, BILLIE MARTEN AND BIFFY CLYRO Enjoy x

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

New Band Fridays

FEMME

A self-funded and self-produced debut album is very special, but to have one this good is utterly remarkable. After my initial listen of 'Debutante', I didn't believe that this was done solely by Laura Bettinson, or FEMME as she is known as on my stage.

By self-producing the album, FEMME made an active choice to distance herself from the generic pop music that is being force fed to everyone who indulges themselves in chart music these days. She says she wanted to make "ballsy pop" and not "another song that sounds like so-and-so because it's been in the charts".

And so 'Debutante' was done without a record label, which was what effectively made the record also become self-funded. Fortunately the album was funded, and we have it now and it is excellent. It reminds me a lot of Grimes, of Broods, and of CharliXCX, who gave FEMME the chance to come on tour with her. Highlights of the album include 'Fever Boy', 'S.O.S', and 'Light Me Up', with 'Light Me Up' appearing on this week's Monday Mix.

So if you need something fresh, something different, and something inherently individual, 'Debutante' by FEMME is what you need. It's also probably just what 2016 needs.

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

THE FIFTH RADIO SHOW FROM EARLIER THIS WEEK

FEATURES SUCH CLASSICS AS: READY TO START // BRIANSTORM // HEART OF GLASS // THERE SHE GOES

AND NEWER TRACKS: IF YOU’RE LEGAL // NO FUN // 20/20

HOPE YOU ENJOY

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

Monday Mix #11 Full of awesome tunes, as usual. Featuring Drenge, The Beatles, Anna of The North, Hooton Tennis Club, and Violent Soho.

Enjoy x

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

New Band Fridays Billie Marten North Yorkshire singer/songwriter is a perfect combination of everyone's favourite (sad) female singers. Hints of Laura Marling, Birdy, Maricka Hackman and Daughter can all be found in this 16 year olds fantastic voice. Her 'Ribbon' EP was released when she was just 14, and is a surprisingly strong 4 track collection. The title track will send shivers down your spine, and her cover of La Roux's 'In For The Kill' is a fantastic reworking of the classic track. Fast forward a year and we have her 'As Long As' EP, featuring her critically acclaimed song 'Bird'. It was the strength of this song, amongst others, that won her her nomination for the BBC Sound of 2016. It is fair to assume that the young Billie Marten will be reaching the highest of heights in the very near future; I can only imagine the reception her debut album will receive when we are gifted it.

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

MONDAY MIX #10

HOPE YOU ENJOY GUYS!

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

Monday mix number 8. Features my favourite song at the moment, 'DVP' by Pup, so if you only listen to one song on this playlist, make it that one. Also features Billie Marten, N.W.A., Kate Bush, Pink Floyd, and Laura Marling. What more could you possibly want from me?

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

Album Review

The Coral - Distance Inbetween

Formed in 1996, The Coral's eighth album finds them a long way from their original debut album. Opener 'Connector' winds along mysteriously and reminds me distinctly of '48:13' released in 2014 released by a certain Kasabian. Distorted vocals, synths and industrial like drums continue on into the albums second track 'White Bird', yet it strikes me with a lighter tone and a more psychedelic feel. You could drop the guitar solo and drums into any Tame Impala album and it certainly would not feel out of place.

This deep, almost unsettling sensation rumbles on into the first single from the album 'Chasing The Tail Of A Dream'. The album has a good energy to it, and it certainly wouldn't feel out of place at an indie disco as 1am approaches and things are getting weird. As the album reaches its title track at song 4, things slow down to a pleasant piano plonk. A third of the way through the album and I am utterly enticed, sucked into its mood. All the lights are off and all I want to do is play guitar with the echo on full.

Right to the end, 'Distance Inbetween' fills space with think heavy atmosphere, and I personally love it. A perfect album for brooding late at night. A big recommendation from me.

If you like this, try: Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

[alex-themusicguy-blog]

No radio show this week, because Easter