Month: January 2021

Week 4: You Me at Six- SUCKAPUNCH

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Wow, it has been 14 years since the debut album and seven records later, You Me at Six are very experimental on their albums. 

“SUCKAPUNCH” is no exception, although you can still hear a familiarity with the band’s wall of sound. The record contains personal fables and their desire to keep pushing the boundaries. Leading vocalist Josh Franceschi said they must push the boundaries to let the industry know they are still around. Indeed, the current shitstorm going on in the world inspired them to push those boundaries and do whatever they wanted sonically while bringing new ideas across various genres they have flirted with in the past and other experimental sounds they were venturing into on this.

Look at “Beautiful Way”; it is more Drum n Bass than the genre they are pigeonholed in. Then “SUCKAPUNCH” is what you would hear a disc jockey mixing in the nightclubs, with its roots firmly in Techno. The smatterings of Dubstep on the album make some tracks ideal for playing in clubs and raves when that day comes again. Of course, the band does return to their generic sound on tracks like “Kill the Mood”.

However, at the halfway point, the track “Glasgow” brings a brief lull on the uplifting and energetic album. “Adrenaline” soon sees an end to the break. “What It’s Like” takes you back to the familiarity of their sound and harks back to the days of “Lived a Lie”. 

The band has played it pretty safe even though it is obvious they have experimented (Maybe that’s why I found it all too familiar? Because they never stop being experimental.). Their guitarist, Max Heyler, said they have grown up with their music, which I concur with, but I need to find out where the sound has changed. I can still tell that I was listening to a You Me at Six album, but I found the club music element very welcoming. The majority still has some form of familiarity in it. However, I did draw parallels with them and their fellow English counterparts Hadouken when I heard the Dubstep tracks. Some might disagree with me calling it a “Safe” record, but they haven’t done anything I am surprised about. If they venture into country or classical, then I will be.

Song recommendations: “Beautiful Way”, “SUCKAPUNCH”, “What It’s Like”

7/10

Week 3: Barry Gibb- Greenfields: the Gibb Brothers’ Songbook Volume 1

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I have never been a fan of the Bee Gees, and I didn’t care much about their soundtrack for the 70’s film Saturday Night Fever. However, I have always held Barry Gibb in high regard; he is a genuinely fantastic songwriter, even if the music may not be to everyone’s liking. Barry has always been a massive fan of country, and I am not in the least bit surprised he has written for such icons in that genre as Dolly Parton and the late Kenny Rogers. This album is for Barry and what he likes. It is predominantly country with some soul chucked in with various guests renowned in the music industry. 

Now, I know I said I don’t like the Bee Gees. Still, Barry, flanked by producer Dave Cobb, has given the back catalogue by the band that featured his late brothers a lease of new life with the songs reimagined. You might forget what the songs are like in their original guise because they are suited wholly to country. Barry returns to the music that inspired him when he lived in England and Australia, respectively. He has delved into country, bluegrass, blues, skiffle and added some soul tracks to the mix.

You have Brandi Carlile bringing a more aggressive approach to “Run to Me” (One of my standouts on the record.). Then Jason Isbell (Another artist and guitarist I highly respect along with his wife Amanda Shires.) brings an almost church-like presence to “Words of a Fool”, but Barry’s distinctive falsetto vocals still rise above all else on the album. Of course, you have Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, and other icons on the record, but another track that catches your ear is “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” featuring Sheryl Crow (I can’t help but feel Al Green was overlooked for this. He has done a stunning rendition of the song.).

Yes, it is a Barry Gibb album with him having the majority of the spotlight; however, it isn’t always that way, and in some tracks, I have highlighted in the paragraph as mentioned above, Barry lets Brandi and Jason take over with their vocals on those individual tracks, and blends in like he was an instrument over Dave’s lavish production. Even after all these years of sharing vocals with his late brothers Robin and Maurice in the Bee Gees, Barry still is very democratic with vocal performances, even though this is his record.

Song recommendations: “Run to Me”, “Words of a Fool”, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”

8/10

Week 1: Michael Bublé- Christmas

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You can tell that 2021 is just going to be as fucked up as last year. Why? Because we have already heard what the great soothsayer Nostradamus has said (Zombie apocalypse, asteroids, and famine. If you didn’t know.), and there’s a fucking Christmas-themed album at No.1 on New Year’s Day! I mean, how fucking depressing is that when we have only just finished celebrating Christmas not that long ago! I was thoroughly depressed listening to the album to review, knowing that it’s another 350 odd days until Christmas day again.

As you know, Michael Bublé is a French-Canadian singer who has been around for quite some time now and usually performs quite regularly for the BBC in England, be it on radio or television. I believe he has even performed at Last Night of the Proms. He scored his first No.1 album in 2007 with “Call Me Irresponsible” among several charts in Europe, Australia, The United Kingdom, America, and his native Canada.

“Christmas” was released a decade ago, and funnily enough, it was also no.1 on New Year’s Day in 2012. It is one of the most critically acclaimed Christmas albums of all time. In 2012, it won a Juno Award for the album of 2011. You would have thought that nine years after its initial release, it wouldn’t generate the sales to be number one a decade later. Still, it appears that “Christmas” was bought for household-only gatherings and family members as a present, making this possible.

Michael puts his slant on Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit “All I Want for Christmas is You” and has fun with the jazz band on “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”. “Silent Night” is another standout with its elementary yet melancholic tones, and if you want to smile and laugh, then “Santa Baby” is for you with its male point of view. There’s room for a duet with another Canadian artist, Shania Twain. Their rendition of “White Christmas” is something to behold, and you will get tingles listening to it.

This classic Michael Bublé album will bring him another generation of fans who may not have discovered him yet. This album is uplifting, sometimes melancholic, and full of smiles and laughs. If it was on the build-up to Christmas or it was Christmas, I would undoubtedly be in the mood to enjoy it more. It’s a bit shit hearing an album based around Christmas when it has already been and gone. I tend not to go out of my way to listen to Christmas albums unless I happen to be at a party or writing reviews where the album of the week is about the theme. So, I can’t say if I would classify this as my favourite Christmas album as I don’t listen to them.

However, towards the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, I listened to my fair share due to writing reviews and enjoyed them. This is up there with Michael Ball & Alfie Boe’s for me. Why? Because they are both full of humour. It could well be that Bublé’s album inspired Michael and Alfie. Those who love Christmas will find this appropriate for Christmas parties (If we can have them in the new year and beyond.), listening in the car, unwrapping presents, Christmas dinner, or just relaxing by the fire while drinking mulled wine or egg nog. What an album to review to start the new year, eh? So, I will very sarcastically wish you all a Merry Christmas. It’s going to be another fucked up year, so I might as well. Remember, there are only three more lockdowns until Christmas.

Song recommendations: “White Christmas”, “All I Want for Christmas is You”, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”

8/10