I have heard so much hyperbole surrounding Travis Scott, and he has been featured on some songs by other artists/bands I am fond of. Unfortunately, this was utterly shit. I liked ‘Modern Jam’ because it resembled the hip-hop I heard in the 90s. It was nice and chill, and there was no autotune in sight. Unfortunately, be it Travis, or the collaborators, autotune was used excessively. I hate it. It ruins music and makes an album with so many songs unlistenable. Why do producers still like to incorporate it into the artist’s music? Please stop it. Stop listening to these little idiots, who do not even make music, but think it’s “Edgy” and “Cool” to listen to autotune music. It’s shit
I was looking forward to hearing this after “Big Conspiracy”, but it was utterly unlistenable. What would have been a great song with Jorja Smith was ruined by shitty autotune. I enjoyed three songs because none of them used autotune: ‘ Come Look’, ‘Cream’, and ‘It’s Crazy’. Very disappointing. That’s all I have to say.Roll on Blur next week.
Song recommendations: ‘Come Look’, ‘Cream’, ‘It’s Crazy’
Here is another instalment of Taylor reworking her original albums after…well., you already know from the last reviews she was being held to ransom over her masters and found a way around it thanks to her solicitor and someone asking permission to use one of her songs, from the originals on television. I have enjoyed what is known as “Taylor’s Version” because everything is better. The vocals, the matured vocal delivery, the production, the professionalism, and the overall clean audio.
The opener is ‘Mine’, and immediately the album catches my ears for how much cleaner it sounds compared to the original, and I like Taylor’s more mature delivery. There is no teenage angst. The reworks stand out more because Taylor has collaborations, and Hayley Williams from Paramore is on ‘Castles Crumbling”.One of my favourites is ‘When Emma Falls in Love’- a soft piano ballad with tender but heart-aching vocals.
As you know from the originals, there was a lot of pent-up anger in her vocals. Still, on the reworks, she has changed that with tenderness and empathy, which is clearly on display in ‘Ours’, and her vocal delivery is done with more meaning now on ‘Enchanted’ as the track arrives at the bridge. There are even lyric changes, as found on another of my favourites, the full-on rock attitude of ‘Better than Revenge’ where she changes the song’s perspective to make the male the antagonist, rather than the female who originally was where she was slut-shamed.
There is also a collaboration with Fall Out Boy on ‘Electric Touch’ where Taylor exchanges verse with Patrick Stump( Who also plays the guitar) before they sing the chorus together. There is room for the National’s Aaron Dessner to play multiple instruments across ten tracks. He also co-wrote ‘Electric Touch’ and ‘Foolish One’. The producer is, once again, Jack Antonoff, who made a mess of “Midnights” but gets the production on point this time. He plays multiple instruments on the record and even does some backing vocals.
I also enjoyed ‘Back to December’ and ‘Dear John’ simply for their vocal maturity. After all the shit she has been through with Scooter, you wouldn’t be surprised if her vocals displayed raw anger, but no, she has done these reworks like the mature songwriter she now is. Another thing worth mentioning on the above tracks is the new arrangements where Taylor can show more vocal diversity now. ‘Sparks Fly’ is the only track where Taylor could have improved. The rest of the album is brilliant, and I cannot recommend it enough. I love these “Taylor’s Version” and am only a fan of her country days. That speaks volumes to just how good they have been so far.
Song recommendations: ‘Better than Revenge’, ‘Dear John’, ‘When Emma Falls in Love’
I had heard of the name before but never listened to their tracks. A lady called Roxanne, who I speak to, is a fan. “Dead Club City” is their fourth album and the first time I listened to the band.
The record begins with the leading single, ‘Welcome to the DCC’, and straightaway, my ears prick up as I was not expecting a band with such a name to have a Jungle-esque track, let alone beginning to an album. I loved the feel-good groove to the opener; as I mentioned before, it reminded me of Jungle.
I thought this album would be all-out indie, but it is laced with disco, indie, rock and psychedelia. Elements of some of the songs had a Tame Impala feel to them. Then we have the Jungle-esque groove of ‘Keeping You Around’ and ‘Do You Love Me Yet?’. The latter has some mad guitar solo, which I unfortunately discovered was the outro, so the track fades out when the solo should have played until its conclusion. They missed a trick by not doing that.
There is even room for ballads on the record. The standout is ‘Green Eyes:: Siena’, where Conor Mason’s tender vocals accompany the acoustic. The lyrics are quite deep, too.
The album closes with ‘Pop the Balloon, an all-out assault on your ears for the majority, but then there is a complete drop in the tempo, which happens without any indication it is approaching. “Dead Club City” isn’t bad for my first introduction to the band. I know some purists may not like this diverse record, but honestly, it kept me interested, and I will now listen to more of their material in the future.
Song recommendations: ‘Do You Love Me Yet?’, ‘Welcome to the DCC’, ‘Pop the Balloon
Well, as you will recall, I had the pleasure of reviewing Tom’s previous album, “Evering Road”, which I enjoyed for his maturity and ability to show humility for all the things he had done wrong in past relationships. This time, he is back with “What ifs and Maybes”, which was tactically delayed to avoid a battle with Foo Fighters, and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds—then postponed another week to avoid a fight with Niall Horan. This week, despite the competition, it was easier for Tom to take the top spot with his 80s-inspired album that echoes that of Abel Tesfaye, Coldplay, and Ellie Goulding of late.
The record opens with ‘How Does it Feel’, one of the teasers. It is an uplifting 80s synth-pop track that makes you want to dance. The second track, ‘Remind Me,’ is quite peculiar. I believe it’s a song about Tom’s forgetting lyrics when performing. Has this happened at all during performances? Tom fans, let me know. Also, what is apologising for? Something has happened in his life? Or forgetting lyrics during a performance? Going by “Evering Road”, I’d say the former.
My only complaint with the record, including on the Apple Music Edition, is that most tracks need to be longer. You get going with the uplifting melody, cancelling the melancholic lyrics, and then the song ends. I am trying to remember any song being over five minutes. The longest is over four minutes. Some might moan that melancholic lyrics over uplifting melodies don’t work, but it’s been done for centuries and is still being done. How anyone can take issue with it is a right miserable bastard who doesn’t understand that art is abstract. ‘Crown Your Love’ is one of the slower ballads where Tom brings melancholy lyrics with an optimistic delivery, and why not? Not every ballad has to have a vocal delivery that matches the nature of the lyrics. It is pretty refreshing. He also adopts this on ‘Here’. It was nice to hear Tom move on from “Evering Road” with a more uptempo album. I like his take on 80s synth-pop mixed with slow ballads and, of course, conscious lyrics.
If you listened to the Apple Music Edition, as I did, you will like the club banger ‘Lionheart(Fearless) featuring Joel Corry. I have heard it in a FIFA game or something. Anyway, it is uplifting club music. I gave the album 7/10 for the tracks being too short and that some sounded like they were put on the record to add more tracks. Some even sound like B-sides.
Song recommendations: ‘How Does it Feel’, ‘Lionheart(Fearless)’, ‘Crown Your Love’
The most talented individual from One Direction, but Niall Horan is somewhat in the shade regarding former band members who have excelled. Harry Styles has had the most success as a solo artist, with Niall being the second. They always say the nice guys get overlooked, and that’s the case with Niall. He is more reserved than Harry, and even though he has got another No. 1 album under his belt, it passes without much fanfare. When Niall releases music, it flies under the radar of the media. They are more interested in the extroverted Harry Styles. Seeming to follow his every move.
Although he may not sell out stadiums, Niall is doing enough to carve out a solo career. Rather than attempt to be more rock n roll, Niall has elected to be more pop with synthesisers on this record, which, surprisingly, coming from a love of Indie, is more suited to his songwriting style.
The only time you will hear a guitar in full flow on the album is ‘You Could Start a Cult’, a song about looking through a relationship with rose-tinted glasses. It also features a harmonica solo. I don’t know if Niall is a fan of Johnny Marr (He probably is.), but it reminded me somewhat of the guitar legend. In all honesty, I wasn’t a fan of the track. I don’t know. There appears to be a sense of mediocrity to it. Save for the harmonica solo. On ‘Must be Love’, Niall discusses his insecurities about falling in love but confesses that you cannot hold back love if it feels like it, no matter how hard you try to resist
He cannot let that thought go even on the cheerful ‘Heaven’ where he is expressing feelings of being in love but also fears that everything will go pear-shaped over bouncing piano keys with sultry vocals. There is a reverb effect on ‘If You Leave’, and I was disappointed with ‘Save My Life’ because it sounds like something the 1975 would churn out.
I don’t know if I liked the record because it captures your imagination and then doesn’t. Sometimes it’s the lyrics, and sometimes it’s the instrumentation. I call the album safe and tidy. Niall is more comfortable writing these types of songs. I cannot wait to hear him write Indie to see if he can pull it off.
7/10
Song recommendations: ‘Heaven’, ‘It Must be Love’., ‘If You Leave’
Was it ever in doubt that the Foos would be number one? Despite being locked in a week-long battle with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, no one save for the Beatles was stopping them from getting to the summit. They had the intrigue of what they would sound like post-Taylor Hawkins and if the new drummer Josh Freese was good enough to take over from the late drummer. The last time Dave Grohl suffered a band member loss was in 1994 when Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain died, and he hit the studio to record what would become the debut album of Foo Fighters. He called it Foo Fighters, so no one would watch wind of who was behind the then-solo project. Although Dave was hurting from the loss of Kurt, the sound in 1995 was more a celebration of life over hardcore rock.
This time, however, the loss of Taylor is etched all over the album, also released over a year after his bizarre demise. You can especially hear this in ‘Under You’, where Dave reminisces about the good old days with someone no longer with us in some form. It is obvious what the song is about, but Dave leaves it open to interpretation through his words. It sounds more like a couple splitting up than the obvious. ‘Rescued’ also expresses how Dave felt at the recording. Of course, the record is littered with songs ready to be blasted in stadiums and belted out by the crowd. That’s what the Foos are good at. ‘Somehow’ features his daughter Violet and is a beautiful ballad and one of the slow moments on the album. ‘Teach Me’ is a track that lasts just over ten minutes, which fools you because there is a sustained silence before the track returns. That track itself trickles along rather than catches your imagination. Of course, another great track closes the records in ‘Rest’, which again is about Taylor, except this time, it is far more apparent as Dave says the drummer can rest in the chorus. The song builds from acoustic to the entire band wading in to end the music how they would complete a show with Taylor going tonto on the drums.
Song recommendations: ‘Rest’, ‘Under You’, ‘Somehow’
Apart from working in the studio on fellow Celtic fan Paolo Nutini’s album, where has Lewis been? Well, he’s been touring his debut album since the world opened up again and has thrown a few teasers for the follow-up. It has been four years since “Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent” was released. Has it? Blimey. I remember doing a track-by-track review, but it was the first month of 2020? It appears not. Anyway, in 2021, he postponed many tour dates to start work on “Broken by Desire to be Heavenly Sent” and, as mentioned earlier, aid Paolo Nutini with his. I don’t know if Lewis is Catholic, but he compares love and heartbreak in biblical terms, which makes this album have more of a religious slant to it.
Now, a new term of music has been created to describe some of his songs, and that’s blue-eyed soul. No idea if that is now officially a genre or if it is just one made by fans. Honestly, when he does ballads, I’d say they are more melancholic than “blue-eyed soul”. That is…I don’t know what it is, but I know the term is adopted for his ballads.
This record resembles his debut regarding the themes, instrumentation, and lyrical content. Albeit, this time, he goes deeper. ‘Heavenly Kind of State of Mind’ explores the rollercoaster ride of a growing relationship, and ‘Burning’ appears to be about his relationship with that girl off Love Island (Meg, is it?) who he wrote ‘Used to be Someone You Loved’ about, where it was never going to work out.
Despite being nothing like the late John Prime’s version, ‘ Wish You All the Best’ echoes the exact sentiment of a male wanting to let rip on his ex-girlfriend but then electing to let it go and wish her well to move on quickly. Of course, we see the other side of his emotions, and it is explored in ‘Pointless’, where he talks about being in love but also mentions his struggles with depression.
‘Haven’t You Ever Been in Love Before’ explores the anxiety of falling in love but being afraid of letting it wash over you for fear of having your heart broken once again. We can all relate to this because we tend to be close to doing or doing sabotage. We cannot let what happened before happen again, so we panic. So, that’s what the first half of the record explores. In the second half, we see more of his vocal ability. I especially noticed his diverse range in ‘Leave Me Slowly’, where he finds his inner Michael Bolton. When I heard it, that was the first singer that registered. There are many other comparisons, but I struggle to find a better one.
Beautiful strings can be heard on ‘How This Ends’ to combat his rich yet melancholic vocals. Honestly, what else would they be on? Besides, a song about a relationship meeting its end? The final track is quite apt and quite insightful regarding his struggles with depression. The title is taken from his Amazon Prime (Might be Netflix.) documentary ‘How I’m Feeling Now’. You may recall from my previous review that Ed Sheeran had a song where the instrumentation was uplifting in contrast to his lyrics to represent hiding behind a mask, and this track works on the same level. However, rather than putting on a brave face after a personal tragedy, Lewis is putting on a brave face when the depression controls his outlook on every aspect of his life. He isn’t alone in this. Several other musicians have admitted their struggles with mental health, one of them recently being George Ezra, which he documented in End to End.
As I mentioned, this is a continuation of the debut record regarding melodies and the constant use of a piano. Still, as I also said earlier, the lyrics go deeper than last time, but there is also now maturity within those lyrics. For example, he laid bare his hurt on the debut album and expressed anger. This time, he appears to move forward and forgive her for hurting him while trying to battle depression, fame, touring, and giving love a chance. I love seeing this guy perform these songs live, so that is when I will appreciate this record a lot more.
Song recommendations: ‘How I’m Feeling Now’, ‘Have You Ever Been in Love Before’, ‘Leave Me Slowly’
One thing you will notice about “-‘ is that Ed uses a lot of weather-based themes to foretell the latest trials and tribulations in his life. Although the lyrics and his delivery are pretty heart-wrenching, they are encased with rays of sunshine regarding the instrumentation. You may start to think it is a typical Ed acoustic, but the song builds as the choir comes in, making it more uplifting over Ed’s heartfelt vocals. Some of you may not like it and feel it is the same old thing because Ed is out with the acoustic again, but I say, listen to his frank story.
Salt Water:
Again, listen to the lyrics as he goes deeper with another life story. When you listen to the instrumentation, you understand how apt the title is. You have piano keys throughout, which represent the waves engulfing him, and the slow, steady drum beat, which means his struggle to stay afloat as the water tries to pull him under. There is then a bright moment with Female vocal harmonising coming in, which represents Ed’s soul letting go as it burns him inside from the pain he is experiencing. The bridge is where the tracks have ethereal tones, meaning Ed succumbs to the waves as he falls to the ocean bed. He has accepted drowning in his sorrows. The track then fades out, which represents Ed’s spirit giving up.
Eyes Closed:
For once, Ed starts a track on an uplifting melody. However, the song in question is another heartbreaker and a moment of reflection. This one is a tribute to SBTV’s Jamal Edwards, who tragically passed away early last year due to an overdose. Jamal was the guy who gave Ed his early but growing fan base when Ed performed from his London home over the Internet. It is undoubtedly how I initially heard of Ed after a friend, Joe, showed me some of the performance through his mobile phone in 2009. From there, I would keep my eyes peeled for Ed as I was left impressed. Those performances on SBTV gave him the platform he needed. So, the track has an uplifting melody, but it is also there to show that not everything appears as it seems and represents Ed’s sense of loss perfectly. Why? Because the upbeat melody represents Ed’s veil of happiness as he carries on after Jamal’s death when really behind the veil, he is struggling to come to terms with it. The behind-the-veil segment of the tracks is Ed’s lyrics, which reveal the true extent of his grief. Ed, with an acoustic baring his soul, is Ed at his best.
Life Goes on:
If you thought the previous track was heavy, put on your lifejacket because this one is gut-wrenching and pulls at your heartstrings—a deeply personal story. Cherry Seaborn, Ed’s childhood sweetheart and now his wife, is carrying their child when Ed taps into the emotion Cherry is experiencing when she hears the news. Ed belts out ‘it hit like a train’ to convey the feeling that Cherry has found out that their happiness is soured with news that she has been diagnosed with cancer. The track is Ed talking directly to you candidly about how he is worried about what may be on the horizon. Ed is begging his wife throughout to fight and beat the horrible illness as he cannot imagine life without her. Why is it called ‘Life Goes on”? Well, Ed is saying that, unfortunately, the world doesn’t stop when a tragedy occurs. If you don’t shed tears or feel anything as Ed pours his heart out about Cherry, then quite frankly, your body is just a vessel with nothing in it. Even though Cherry could not be operated on during her pregnancy with Jupiter, she has since had treatment and is recovering.
Dusty:
After the heaviness of the previous track, Ed switches up to hip-hop. The instrumentation is quite groovy, as most hip-hop is, and represents the light at the end of the tunnel for Ed, as do the lyrics, as they are more optimistic. Indeed Ed even says enthusiastically, ‘the future is so bright’. The bridge is out of synchronisation with the rest of the song as it sounds like something the likes of 5ive, 911, Boyzone, Westlife, et al would utilise in their songs back in the 90s. This track is like a continuation of ‘Salt Water’, although this time, it is Ed climbing off the ocean bed and swimming up while floating on the calmer seas as he gets above the water. Ed represents this with a high-frequency sound at the end of the track. The sound means his ears are unblocking as he returns to the surface.
End of Youth:
Oh dear, that calm ocean has turned rough again as Ed finds himself battling the waves that are dragging him under. To represent the sense of drowning and hopelessness, Ed utilises minor chords, which, if you have a good ear for music, are used in sad/reflective songs. To add to the gloomy mood, Ed throws in strings that match his vocals as he foretells how the grief drove him to attempt suicide. Another track that leaves his heart open.
Colourblind:
Staccato piano chords over loving lyrics to begin with Ed propelling back to 2013 when he was recording “X” and recording the controversial ‘Thinking Out Loud'( I am not going to go into the details about that. Just Google Marvin Gaye and Ed Sheeran for that story.), which this song draws inspiration from. The track is uplifting, and Ed’s happiness is heard through the vocals. When he was in the booth, he had a smile on his face when delivering the vocals on this one. Ed then tests his vocal range as he goes high and falsetto over a choir, adding that angelic and floating touch.
Curtains:
Ed showcases another segment of his vocal range: singing lower than ever. This track also breaks away from the usual acoustic and heads into the electric and rock arena as you can hear electric guitars, crashing cymbals, and thumping drums over Ed’s vocals. The chorus is even more frantic, representing that Ed is breaking free of his worries and rediscovering his zest for life. This whole track has a positive message for Ed and the listeners.
Borderline:
Once again, Ed sinks to the bottom of the sea as the depression takes hold. I call this the manic depression track because the instrumentation represents the manic cycle, and the lyrics describe the clinical cycle. When we get to the chorus, the song breaks free of the manic depression, and a bright sky breaks through. Very autobiographical.
Spark:
This is like swimming against the rough seas, represented by the bouncing beat before the drums match Ed’s soaring vocals to mean conquering the rough seas, which gradually get calmer. Ed is leaving his worries and his past behind and moving forwards.
Vega:
Another reflective moment as Ed returns to his beloved Martin in a song talking about the devastating news of his wife Cherry heard during the pregnancy and almost broke Ed entirely. He delivers his pain perfectly in the chorus—an emotional track. The track is very downtempo, but the lyrics contrast this with optimism that things will improve for Cherry and the family.
Sycamore:
This is a follow-up to ‘Vega’ with Ed and Cherry feeling relief that the nightmare is over and they can recover from the ordeal. Strings accompany an optimistic but wary Ed as he talks about being by Cherry’s side at the hospital. A clever track melodically because it shows the feeling of optimism and fear, which is what happens with an experience like that.
No Strings:
This is Ed letting go over stabbing piano chords as he expresses what Cherry means to him. After his wife’s recovery, Ed feels she has to know just how much he loves her, and that love is why they made it through.
Hills of Aberfeldy:
Remember when everyone mocked ‘Galway Girl’? I didn’t mind it, to be fair. I found it rather uplifting, but many thought it insulted Celtic music. He is back again with another Celtic song, but it will be warmly received this time. This is your typical traditional Celtic song. No fancy additions like on ‘Galway Girl’. The vocal delivery is that of an old Celtic singer with acoustic guitar joined by bagpipes and marching drums. Sonically, the track is calm, suggesting that Ed finds peace after a rough journey. Another ode to his wife, which looks to the future and ends the album with a message of hope and never fading love.
Song recommendations: ‘Salt Water’, ‘Hills of Aberfeldy’, ‘No Strings’
The Lottery Winners( an unusual name.) hail from Leigh, Greater Manchester, and formed in 2008. They have supported Starsailor and have collaborated with Frank Turner and Sleeper frontwoman Louise Wener. They are with an independent label (Modern Sky) despite being in existence since 2008. This band still needs to be signed. Regarding this staggeringly, this is their FIFTH album under a small label, and member Thom Rylance says it is their album for those struggling with mental health issues. The record opens with a posh-voiced psychiatrist telling you to relax and begin the session. It also closes with a thank you for sharing; the session is now over, or words to that effect.
This album is about Thom Rylance’s ability to feel better about himself when he gets all his emotions off his chest on the tracks. Yet, at the same time, we can all relate when we listen to the lyrics and feel much better by the album’s end.
After the brief introduction, the record bursts into life with the fast-tempo track, ‘Worry’. I had never heard of the band before this track, but they gave me a Lux Lisbon/Slow Readers Club vibe to their sound. I also loved how the first two tracks (‘Burning House’ is the second.) were energetic—the kind of energy you want at the beginning to pique your interest.
We then move on to ‘Money’ featuring Shaun Ryder, who brings his Mancunian swagger. The track is very Happy Mondays/Black Grape-esque (Probably the new band, too. Mantra of the Cosmos, which includes Ride’s Andy Bell.)The track is about coping with working, being a musician, and longing to ditch the regular job for music.
The record even has an ode to the anti-depressant, Sertraline, and is called such. Thom talks about how that particular one makes you feel better, and as I took that myself, I can vouch for that. I indeed related to this one. At this point, the album changes tempo and is more uplifting. As I stated, the record theme is based on a therapy session, and this record has reached the point where you would start to feel more optimistic and better for discussing what upsets you. ‘Letter to Myself’ features Frank Turner, as Thom addressed himself when he was 12, where he discusses how difficult school is but how one can overcome it. The video for the song is good, too.
‘Let Me Down’ features the brilliant Boy George and stands out for me. George’s vocals are like Galaxy chocolate and soothing, adding warmth to the uplifting track. You will understand it more when you watch the video of the child dressed as Boy George upstairs in his room singing along, and his father walks in, and instead of being angry with him, he accepts it and asks how he is.
I recommend this album, and I hope now that they have smashed that glass ceiling by having massive success with this album, they get on to bigger and better things.
Song recommendations: ‘Let Me Down’, ‘Money’, ‘Letter to Myself’
Honest Opinions 