I don’t know how the title is pronounced (Tansk?), but you will be surprised. As I have mentioned in previous reviews, I dubbed the band “Energetic Rebellion”; however, this time, the band have kept some of that but has resorted to talking about parenthood, love, relationships, and political matters. Yes, there were smatterings of romance on the previous records, but this one steps it up to a level I wasn’t expecting. The volume has also dropped to a chilled vibe, matched by Joe Talbot’s relaxed vocals.
‘Roy’, for example, is more akin to soul. The opener, ‘IDEA 01, ‘ sounds ethereal and reminds me of Lana Del Rey’s style of music. ‘Dancer’ is one of the singles that features LCD Soundsystem, and you can hear that on the track. It isn’t of the iDLES ilk.
Of course, let’s not forget the band returns to their routes on tracks such as ‘Hall & Oates’, which is my standout from the record. I felt chilled out until that track came on, and I was shocked back into the room. Joe also aims for the royal family on ‘Gift Horse’, declaring his daughter is more important than someone in a bejewelled crown.
I know this album will have many mixed reviews because we expect the band to be full-on energetic rebellion, but this one takes it easy, and some people will hate that they have. For all that, the band have shown they can escape their comfort zone and show versatility. As I said, it is a record that is full of surprises. I certainly didn’t expect it. I would describe it as the band rolling a joint and taking it easy as they enjoy the weed. You could also say the band is on a comedown after experiencing an energetic high. One good thing from this is that the band will no longer be pigeonholed into just one category.
Song recommendations: ‘Hall & Oates’, ‘Gift Horse’, ‘Dancer’
Yes, I know it is yet another cliché moment. I DID discover Wet Leg while watching Later…with Jools Holland in November last year.
They performed their famous hit ‘Chaise Longue’, which I found extremely funny for its lyrical content, but I also loved its raw, punky sound, and the ladies singing had those typical punk vocals.
The duo hails from the Isle of Wight and consists of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. Of course, other members feature on the album, but they are regarded as session musicians and touring members.
Going back to ‘Chaise Longue’, it was refreshing to hear a track that wasn’t by some fucking idiot who has no business in music just because their song went viral on TikTok because of some shit dance craze. ‘Chaise Longue’ is known for its bassline and guitar riffs instrumental-wise, but the lyrics are delivered with deadpan by leading vocalist and guitarist Rhian taking quotes from the film Mean Girls. Like I said earlier, I found some of the lyrics quite funny, especially the one about going to school and not learning anything but having sex (Listen to the song. You know what I mean.). The chorus wasn’t that great, with “On the Chaise Longue” repeated throughout, but somehow, it becomes a catchy hook that adds to the track.
I then listened to the band via live performances on YouTube during the earlier part of this year, and I was highly impressed by what I heard. The songs are short, but whereas some might describe them as Indie, they have more of the punk spirit. Funnily enough, I felt like I was listening to Amyl and the Sniffers sans the Australian accents.
I saw a tweet from the duo saying their self-titled debut was about to go to number one, and I was delighted to hear what the album sounded like. Unfortunately, I didn’t have to listen much because I had already heard the songs featured on their promotional tour. However, I checked out the streaming figures on Spotify and was amazed that they had amassed 13 million streams! I could not believe just how widespread this duo was when most of the videos on YouTube were them playing in dinghy bars and pubs. Although they have yet to do any significant events or play at big venues, they have done the Late night chat shows in America and were voted runners-up in the BBC Sounds of 2022 poll. Because of ‘Chaise Longue’, many will say that Wet Leg might not be more than just a fleeting moment. However, I disagree with them. The duo have other songs in their arsenal. Okay, they might be on the same level sonically and lyrically, but it is more than just one hit.
Okay, I may have gone overboard saying they are punk. They are like a soft version of punk. You can’t even say they are pop-punk because they sound nothing like bands like Green Day. They remind me of Lush, who were around in the 90s (If you can’t remember, there are videos of their performance of ‘Lady Killers’ on the short-lived Channel 4 show, the White Room. They have that same element of punk. I wouldn’t call them energetic rebellion as I have done for IDLES or shame. Staying with punk, their producer for the debut happens to be Dan Carey, who has produced for Fontaines DC, no less. You’re always onto a winner when Dan is involved. I recommend it if you have yet to hear Fontaines DC’s first two albums. The only difference between Wet Leg and Lush, I will even throw in Shampoo (Remember ‘Trouble’?) into the mix, is that the lyrical content is more based on 21st-century themes.
For example, ‘Being in Love’ over punky guitars turns to delicate strumming as the song changes the subject mood. So, the music goes from, I imagine, Rhian/Hester or both being infatuated to them suffering from anxiety about the possibility of being hurt. The second example is ‘Too Late Now’, which, funnily enough, closes the album, whereas ‘Being in Love’ started it. This time, however, the girls feel alone and fret about missing out on opportunities. There is even a breakdown in the track where Rhian says, “I’m not sure if this is a song/I don’t even know what I’m saying/I’m not sure if this is the kind of life that I saw myself living” Now, I am not sure if she is talking about that music wasn’t the planned destination of her career, but it is powerful nonetheless.
You then have the psychedelic element on ‘Don’t Wanna Go Out’, like David Bowie’s ‘Hallo Spaceboy’.Although, Rhian talks about being in their late 20s and still living it up. ‘Angelica’ is about a girl at a party who thoroughly hates the idea of being there, and ‘Oh No’ seems to be about an individual trying to control a panic attack.
There are, of course, the punk tracks, which I mentioned earlier (Not the tracks. The element.) ‘Supermarket’ made me laugh because who hasn’t been stoned while shopping in one? Especially when you got the munchies. Then there is ‘Wet Dream’. That one doesn’t need a genius to work out the theme. Songs like these are more sinister than ‘Chaise Longue’, but their wit remains. One line that made me laugh on ‘Loving You’ was “I hope you choke on your girlfriend”.
I also have to big up ‘Ur Mum’ just for the title alone, but the song is hilarious and reminds me of when I was young and using it as a light-hearted insult. That was my favourite, and it has been my favourite since I watched them perform a whole set via YouTube.
I loved their debut. Okay, I didn’t have to listen to much of it because I had heard most of the songs performed live before its release. But it is an enjoyable, witty, sarcastic, punky record. The only qualm for me is that it needed to be longer.
Song recommendations: ‘Ur Mum’, ‘Supermarket’, ‘Loving You’
I first heard about Frank when he followed me on Twitter. I must confess I had yet to learn who he was or what kind of music he did until after that follow, in 2010. Despite watching his journey unfold since the 2010s, I learned this is his NINTH Album! The record initials stand for ‘Frank Turner Hardcore’, and I remember when Liam Gallagher described his debut album “As You Were” was going to be “Rock out with your chin out”…well, Frank’s undoubtedly is that. It is so far removed from “No Man’s Land” and “Be More Kind”.I cannot recall many acoustic and soft moments.
Following the previous paragraph, Frank hurls himself into the moshpit with the ‘Non Serviam’ opening track. It blows your ears off from the first note, and you hear Frank’s punk vocals. That caught me off guard when I knew Frank’s music to be more reflective and soft. It was a surprise, but a fucking nice one. He then launches himself into ‘the Gathering’ like he has jumped on a Kawasaki Ninja, weaving in and out of lanes and overtaking other vehicles on the M1 North and South when it is the dead of light, and you have the freedom to tank it. Once again, it doesn’t fit in with Frank’s back catalogue, butyou can hear he has been fucking pissed off with having his livelihood taken away from him for over two years. He isreturning with punk fuel inside him. You can hear the aggression in his vocals and the frustration pouring out of him in every bar and expletive.
I look forward to hearing the first two tracks and the energy he will bring when I see him perform. The softest track I could find on the record was ‘Haven’t been Doing So Well’, but don’t let that fool you. Frankis still bringing that punk, energetic rebellion sound.
However, Frank’s work is slightly milder than generic punk and rock. Of course, it is much punkier than his usual work, but that’s where it ends. Not that I am complaining whatsoever. Listening to Frank let rip and put the acoustic away was nice. Why do I say it isn’t like generic punk? The guitars are not as raw as you would expect from generic punk. There is no IDLES, Ireland’s Fontaines DC, or even Amyl and the Sniffers who bring that punk energy to their songs. You could add shame to that mix.
Another thing I noticed is that the vocals seem to overpower the production, which takes away that live element that Frank was trying to bring across. Indeed, sometimes I struggled to hear those screaming guitars, thumping drums, and crashing cymbals. Frank was in a band called Million Dead from 2000 to 2005, and it is a slight return to those days with the production and the vocals full of angst and yelling. Only a little bit more constrained.
At the start of this paragraph, I will mention what makes this “Hardcore”, as Frank puts it in the album title. Well, it’s not really for the sound but more for his vocals and the lyrics. Yes, I am aware that Frank is usually quite melancholic with his lyrics, but he has taken it further this time. Frank appears to be conversing with his past. Especially when talking about his transgender father in the following three songs; ‘Fatherless’, ‘My Bad’, and ‘Miranda’. Let’s begin a summary of the trilogy (If you will.) with ‘Fatherless’. In this song, he talks about being alone due to the absence of his then-father. In ‘My Bad’, he expresses guilt of having theresponsibility of carrying the flag for the transgender movement put on him by his father. Finally, in ‘Miranda’, he addresses the fact his father is now transgender. Instead of feeling angry and alienated, he shows solidarity with his father’s decision and says that his father is a proud transgender woman, and his resentment has gradually faded away. He even says the line ‘Miranda, it’s lovely to meet you’ to show he has accepted what has happened. These songs exemplify Frank visiting the past and learning to live with it in the present.
You might say that Frank’s latest record is a bit “deep”. Yes, that may be true, but you will laugh at hiswitty lyrics, which somewhat take the edge off the subject matter. I enjoyed listening to “FTHC”; my concentration didn’t waver like on some of my reviews because I got bored. The lyrical content, vocal delivery, and production had my full attention. Frank has smashed it with this album, and I look forward to hearing these tracks while the moshers go fucking mental during live performances.
Song recommendations: ‘the Gathering’, ‘Non Serviam’, ‘Miranda’
I remember a lady talking to me about great music acts out of Bristol, and funnily enough, she was a Bristolian. And Ihadn’t heard of them then, but she asked if I had heard of IDLES. To which I replied, “No”. Anyway, she recommendedthat I listen to them as they are very much the Sex Pistols of the 21st century. It wasn’t long after that conversation; in fact, a mere few hours later, they were making their debut appearance on Later…with Jools Holland, so naturally, I was always going to give them a listen. I remember they played their pro-immigrant song “Danny Nedelko”, which alsohappens to be a friend of theirs from Poland. I can’t remember the name of the other song at present, but it was abouta dad telling his son to be macho and stop moaning about how he truly felt. The next thing I knew, they were nominated forthe Hyundai Mercury Prize and performed “Never Fight a Man with a Perm” at the ceremony. I didn’t think much oftheir lyrical content, but the energy they created with the music could have caused the world’s end (You knowwhat happens in Akira when Tetsuo goes mental?). They spent over a decade in the underground scene before finallygetting their break two years ago, so when they released their latest and second album, there was more of a fanbase thatthey built up mainly on the festival circuit.
Now, there appear to be many ready to shoot the band down and have nothing but contempt for them because they like tostick up for the people and attack the establishment at every turn, but once again, they have shown they don’t fuckingcare what their critics have to say and have decided to be even more controversial on this record with their politicalopinions, which I loved. If you follow me on Twitter or whatever, you will know I dubbed the album “Energetic Rebellion”; that is precisely how I would describe it in short.
“War” and “Grounds” are just the beginning of the band’s assault on the political spheres, and Joe screams on “Grounds”,“Do you hear that thunder? That’s the sound of strength in numbers”. From that alone, you can see the band alreadycalling their listeners to rise and attack the establishment.
On “Model Village”, they attack nationalism and even lay into the current government and their cowardly leader. It ismy favourite off “Ultra Mono” just for that reason alone. I fucking despise the current government and the prime ministertoo.
“Anxiety” is another brilliant track off the album and gets even more political. These lyrics stand out and grabyour attention “Our government hates the poor, cold leaders, cold class war, keeping drugs you can’t afford, so the poorcan’t buy the cure.” in “Reigns”, the band accuses the government of selling the working class down the river with theirbullshit over a bullshit referendum that happened in 2016. The instrumentation and production on most of the record sync perfectly with Joe’s passionate and aggressive vocals.
I can’t remember a calm moment on the album, save for “Kill Them with Kindness”, which starts with a loungeJazz piano but then launches into an attack on the royal family and so forth. “Seize the Day” is another track that talks about chasing pricks away who threaten humanity.
Although the lyrical content is minimal, what it does offer is utter honesty on the political sphere and how the bandcouldn’t give a fuck if you hate their anti-establishment opinions. You can see why they have gained a rather largefollowing with these views and hard-hitting punk with their songs that are bound to create mosh pits at every venue orfestival they are at. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Song recommendations: “Model Village”, “Anxiety”, “Grounds”
I remember hearing about the buzz of this band from Dublin a few years back from some folks I follow from Scotland on Twitter, so I first assumed they were an up-and-coming band from Glasgow or Edinburgh. Imagine my surprise when I finally listened to one of the many videos shared on that platform via YouTube. The track, funnily enough, was also the title of their debut album “Dogrel”. I have to say, I loved the energy, but the lyrics were…beyond basic. Their lead vocalist, unfortunately, didn’t impress me much, and I wondered what was the point of having Grian Chatten in the first place. His vocals sounded like a drunk punter slurring through a song on the karaoke machine. Despite that, his flat vocals work pretty well in the punk genre. Let’s face it: Johnny Rotten was hardly blessed with amazing vocal ability. I can’t think of many punk vocalists who can sing. Billie Joe Armstrong, maybe? After hearing the title track, I gave their debut album a full listen and was impressed with the picture they painted of their beloved Dublin City. I found the album had more structure lyrically than just that one song. Even if you’ve never been to Dublin or Mother Ireland, you have a good idea of what life is like from “Dogrel”. As much as I have never found the lyrical content impressive, I appreciate the energy the music provides; it is a bit like IDLES. There are minimal lyrics but fantastic energy in the instrumentation.
That’s enough brief history on the band and their debut; let’s review their second and latest album, funnily enough, also named after the track “A Hero’s Death”. They didn’t bother relying on the success of “Dogrel”; as you can imagine, they decided to intentionally head into another direction with the whole instrumentation and lyrical content. After all, writing about living in Dublin becomes quite challenging when you last visited before being on the road to promote your previous work. Grian has said that the band would have felt like they were frauds talking about life in Dublin again, as they haven’t been there much to experience it the past year, and therefore, it wouldn’t be fair on the listener to buy an album, which didn’t represent anything
authentic, thus making the listener lose interest in the band.
Instead, the band has talked about the places they have been on the road and what they have experienced and seen. As you can imagine, life on the road isn’t always sweet when you’re constantly sharing space on a tour bus, and this album certainly shows that as it discusses their excessive drinking, loneliness, depression, and fighting with each other because you are sick of the sight of each other during a long and arduous tour. I recommend a good documentary on life on the road and how this is depicted perfectly. It’s about Keane, so go and look online or buy their DVD. This album is more downbeat and lacks the energy of “Dogrel”, but I suppose that would always be the premise to replicate their mood on tour. For example, “Living in America” is very slow and melancholic. Then the tempo is switched up on “A Televised Mind.” the latter is not great lyrically, but you can feel the energy from the rhythmic pulsing of the guitar and the thumping bass of the drum. Once again, the title track is minimal with its lyrics (I believe, from what I remember hearing, it just repeats “Life isn’t always empty” for the duration?), but the instrumentation does it justice.
The band does not apologise for their change in direction and even know they may lose fans by not keeping in line with the debut. They even acknowledge that some people will be disappointed with the second record, but unfortunately, life has changed, and this is who they now are, so they cannot write songs about living in Dublin anymore. In fact, “A Televised Mind” is a dig at those who want to be appeased. “A Televised Mind” seems to be about people stuck in their ways and refusing to accept change. It is like some Oasis fans who can’t take that Noel does the music he wants to do.
Dan Carey’s services proved very successful on “Dogrel”, so the band chose him again. This time, as mentioned in this review, the sound would be very different in line with the band’s fresh outlook. The first record was very compact, but Dan gives more of the spotlight on the music this time, so you can fully appreciate Carlos O’Connell and Conor Curley on the guitars and Tom Coll on the drums. There is also room for ballads like “Sunny” with a gothic-like sound.
It is also worth noting to get the sound they wanted, and they were listening to quite a lot of the Beach Boys while they were touring stateside. The band wanted to make a record that wasn’t straight down the line, and that the Beach Boys heavily inspired “A Hero’s Death”.
As much as I liked the record, I am once again left unimpressed with the elementary lyrics that anyone could make up on the spot and the flatness of Grian’s vocals. Now, he is quite passionate about his profession, but it doesn’t come through in his studio performances and onstage performances. It’s quite sad. The music has the energy, albeit at times on this record brings it down, but Grian remains at the same tempo throughout. It is good that the band is willing to experiment so early in their career, but they are in danger of losing their identity, which accrued them fans. They must maintain sight of what made them unique, or they will fall into the generic bands they are frequently associated with.
Song recommendations: “Sunny”, “No”, “A Televised Mind”.
Honest Opinions 