Album Review– Enter Shikari - A Flash Flood of Colour (Deluxe Edition)

 

Now don’t get me wrong, I like Enter Shikari with their politically tinted brand of metalcore, and thought that Common Dreads (Enter Shikari’s second album, 2009) was rather refreshing. And in its own right I quite like Dubstep and D’n’B, but put the two together and you end up with a right mess to be honest.

A Flash Flood of Colour is essentially 42 minutes of four angry blokes from St. Albans screaming about nothing particular, backed by the constant drones of wub-wub-wub-wub that is called modern Dubstep. This style was already experimented with on Common Dreads, in a more subtle manner to some success. But nobody seems to have told them that “less is more”, in places the Dubstep is so prominent that it is practically unlistenable.

The lyrics are as politically inclined as its predecessor, which seems to be this albums only saving grace. My personal favourite from the album, “Quelle Suprise” starts of with the following non-dubstep backed statement by lead singer Rou Reynolds:

“We've got the technology to move forward
We've got the knowledge and the means, to build upstream
We've got the technology to go faster
We've got the passion and the talent to make this real
But we're so f*****g adaptable, controvertible, ducking and weaving from the truth
If it adds weight to the content of our pockets
We'll sit and stagnate with banks and use rockets
To oversee that it's our bottom line that gets carried to the high seas’'

This just goes to show that Enter Shikari is still capable of writing a decent tune, and hopefully with A Flash Flood of Colour they’ll get the whole Dubstep thing out of their system. To be fair, this feels more of a wasted opportunity to build on “Common Dreads”, rather than a truly awful album, I think disappointed would summarize it better.

Score: 4.5/10

Best Album of 2011: The Black Keys– El Camino

 

Sorry its taken me so long to post again, but I've been having too much fun doing algebra and geometry and just haven’t been able to find the time to get back to my blog, or anything else for that matter.

Anyway……

Across the last 12 months, we’ve had some good and sadly not-so-good albums. For me, El Camino is not just a good album, it is a masterpiece. El Camino is the Black Keys’ 7th and by far best studio album, although it retains the familiar blues-rock vibe we know and love El Camino seems to add something a little more special than their previous offerings.

In contrast to “Brothers” (album 6) this feels more polished but less commercially (pop) orientated, with tracks ranging from extravagant White Stripe’s style blues-rock, to the softly spoken ballad “Little Black Submarines” (well, at lest the first half). While “Little Black Submarines” is the stand out track on El Camino, it is not indicative of the album overall, most tracks have a heavier feel due to Dan Auerbach’s brilliant guitar work throughout.

This album will prove to be the Black Keys equivalent to the White Stripes “Elephant" (2003), that single work of art that will cement their place as rock legends. This is simply the best album of the year, and in my mind, of the decade so far.

Score: 9.5/10

 

Surprise Album of 2011: Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind Of Fix.

 

A Different Kind Of Fix was more of a return to form rather than anything that revolutionary, and to be fair, after that debacle of a sophomore album (Flaws (2010)) it was rather welcome.

Bombay Bicycle Club returned to their roots and seem to have drawn inspiration from their debut LP (I Had The Blues But I shook Them Loose (2009)) resulting in a very enjoyable 3rd offering from the 4-piece London indie rockers. I personally had very low expectations of this album, especially after hearing the honky-tonk piano on the lead single “Shuffle”, but as I listened to the rest of the album I established that it was more of a minor hiccup rather than a wider issue. The second single “Lights Out, Words Gone” on the other hand seems to continue along the same lines as their debut and is rather reminiscent of their earlier single “Always Like This”.

Jack Steadman’s vocals seem to be to be more consistent throughout and he is more often than not accompanied by Lucy Rose on backing vocals, the two complement each other well and add to the light atmosphere of the album.

Overall the LP feels larger than the sum of its parts and more refined than their debut. Essentially this lives up to what their second album should have been.

Score: 8/10

 

Debut Album of 2011: WU LYF–Got Tell Fire To The Mountain.

 
What do we actually know about WU LYF? Well, we know that they are a Mancunian 4 piece and to be honest that’s about all. Oh, and that their debut album, “Go Tell Fire to the Mountain” is a right corker.
Recorded in a church, it sounds like a bit of a mash-up between the Kings of Leon growl and Foals’ carefully constructed guitar riffs then add a few organs (it’s a church after all….), and the result is a pleasant and above all unique LP. Ranging from “We Bros” that would make a very suitable summer theme tune to “Such a Sad Puppy Dog” which is a haunting 5 and a half minute epic, the album is full of surprises and there is something there for everybody. As regards to the lyrics, they are unintelligible throughout but do not detract from the charm, and if anything, add to the mystique of both album and band.
All in all, Go Tell Fire To The Mountain is a very respectable and rather enjoyable first offering from WU LYF, but based on this success you can't help but wonder how long their anonymity will last.
Score: 8.5/10
- The Master’s Voice

And so it begins in 2012 . . . . .

So as you can all see I am a brand new blogger with a total lack of experience which is more than compensated for with reckless enthusiasm, I hope that you’ll enjoy the ramblings of this avid muso.

In recent years I have become quite a keen musician, I play the bass guitar and the drums (not simultaneously) but I’ll try any instrument that lands in my sticky little mitts. I also enjoy listening to my vast collection of music, but in recent times have found it increasingly difficult to find any half-way decent reviews for the albums I wish to purchase. I find it somewhat difficult to believe that I am the only one facing this problem and have therefore decided to review the albums myself under the pseudonym of “The Master’s Voice”.