Rock

Week 28: Kasabian- Happenings

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The band nearly had their secret show at Glastonbury this year exposed by a social media post. Frontman and guitarist Serge Pizzorno was alerted by a plumber about the post after he was asked about the show. The band has been touring with their new frontman Serge, playing songs from their debut album( Under Serge, anyway.)as well as their classic hits since 2022. Last year, they released the lead single “Algorithms” from their upcoming album, so fans have been eagerly anticipating new developments.

Unlike some, I’ve found the band’s transition after Tom Meighan’s departure to be seamless. While Serge’s new material may be more influenced by hip-hop and rap, his stage presence is truly captivating. As the previous album review highlighted, Serge is a natural frontman, exuding energy and connecting with the crowd. This, in my view, has significantly enhanced the quality of the shows. I also admired the band’s willingness to explore new musical territories with the previous record, particularly Serge’s take on hip-hop and grime.

We start with ‘Darkest Lullaby’, and it’s a start that’s bound to catch your attention. A captivating groove, rich with funk, instantly transports you back to the disco-funk era of the 1970s. But here’s the twist- this isn’t the hip-hop-infused track we might have expected under Serge’s leadership. It’s a refreshing departure that’s sure to intrigue you.

This is followed by the second single off the record, ‘Call’, which has been out since February, so the fans will be familiar with it. I cannot wait to hear how this one does in a live show because there is a chant there, which Serge will encourage the crowd to join in with. It also makes you want to get up and dance. A short, punchy track, ‘How Far Will You Go,’ follows; it is just under two minutes and is the ideal track for you to upload on TikTok and join the fun. The tempo is then brought down for the serene ‘Coming Back to Me Good.’ 

The album maintains a mellower pace with ‘G.O.A.T’. This track, inspired by Serge’s solo material, SLP, is a potential game-changer for Kasabian’s sound. Whether it is embraced or not, this influence is likely to be felt. The track also carries a darker vibe towards the end.

The track “Passengers” by Kasabian has a vintage feel. It includes a strong rhythm section with Ian Matthews on drums and Chris Edwards on bass. Additionally, it features great guitar work by Tim Carter and Serge’s trademark harmonies.

We then move on to “Hell of it”. All there is to say is that it’s vintage Kasabian, featuring the audience participation chorus.

The penultimate track ‘Bird in a Cage’ is simliar to ‘G.O.A.T’- Mellow yet dark.

The album closes with the leading single, as mentioned in the first paragraph. It is simply an uplifting track. It complements the whole record in a nutshell. My only complaint is that I feel Serge has been bullied into abandoning the new Kasabian we heard on “The Alchemist’s Euphoria”. This one seems to have taken a backward step and is more vintage Kasabian, reminiscent of their earlier, more rock-oriented sound. That isn’t bad, but I’d rather Serge steer the band with his vision rather than what the purists want. I also found it underwhelmingly short, with the album lasting just 28 minutes. Most of these songs could easily fit into an extended play.

Song recommendations: ‘Call’, ‘G.O.A.T’, ‘Passengers’

7/10

Week 26: Gracie Abrams- The Secret of us

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Gracie Abrams’ journey into music started when she was five when she picked up her father’s electronic drum pad. It would lead to touring with Taylor Swift almost 20 years later, where she would be the opening support act for Taylor on her “Eras” tour. As you already know, the other support act was Sabrina Carpenter. I could only imagine that Gracie must have been looking out at the packed stadiums, astounded by the experience, which she probably thought might never have happened once, let alone 30 times. She would write her first song three years after being drawn to her father’s electronic drum pad. That eventually led to the Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. This year, she also made her television debut by performing on the Tonight Show presented by Jimmy Fallon—a far cry from her debut live performance back in 5th grade at school.

Back in 2020, she hosted a modest concert over Zoom when the world was locked down due to the pandemic. The venue was her childhood bedroom, and the performance was viewed by only 100 people using the application. She described the experience as “weird” and expressed that she hadn’t expected to achieve what she did at that point. Gracie was inspired to play the guitar after listening to the late Elliott Smith. He was a young man with a troubled soul who died (Although no one knows if he was murdered.)before his time, yet he inspired many through his brief career as a songwriter.

During her teenage years, she explored other artists’ music, like Radiohead and The Beatles, and even covered their songs. However, when she came across Phoebe Bridgers on Soundcloud, everything changed for her. Her deep admiration for Phoebe greatly influenced her debut album.

Her latest album, “The Secret of Us,” establishes her as a country-pop icon who emotionally connects with younger listeners. The lead single “Risk” incorporates elements reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, the rebel and poet Patti Smith, and the emotive style of the late Elliott Smith. However, the catchy, pop-friendly chorus offsets the melancholic themes found in the works of these artists.

In her second album, the artist shifted to a brighter and more distinctive sound than her debut, “Good Riddance.” The opening track, ‘Felt Good About You,’ draws inspiration from the jangly guitars reminiscent of Vampire Weekend and Taylor Swift-like choruses throughout the album. In ‘Blowing Smoke,’ she incorporates country tones from Sheryl Crow and Alanis Morissette’s rock attitude. Additionally, there’s a reference to Kate Bush’s iconic song ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God),’ where she mentions the title within the lyrics.

In her debut album, I previously mentioned that Phoebe Bridgers was a heavy influence. This is evident on tracks like ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’ and ‘Good Luck Charlie’, where her influence is obvious. Jack Antonoff, who interestingly also works with Taylor Swift, contributed his signature production style to the album. Aaron Dessner of The National, who also collaborates with Taylor Swift, co-produced the album, making it more pop-friendly compared to his usual work. This contrasts sharply with his work with his own band. You can hear influences from R.E.M in ‘Tough Love’ and ‘Normal Thing’. The latter sounds similar to Jamie XX. ‘Normal Thing’ stands out to me as favourite, partly because it sounds completely different from the rest of the album and is more uplifting with its dance beats.

Let’s face it: Phoebe Bridgers is a complicated person to emulate. Only a few artists break through after a debut album. Usually, it’s the second album onwards, where you iron out the mistakes made on the debut. Gracie has achieved this on her second album, and it is a far cry from sitting in her room learning to cover iconic songs from the artists and bands she listened to as a teenager. You can see she borrows elements from all of them to create her own identity. Her parents’ musical tastes can also be heard on the record, but her music is a blend of Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers. Taylor Swift also appears on ‘us’, which reflects this. The experience of being on tour with Taylor has inspired her songwriting for this album, and she has more confidence in her delivery. The vocals are a lot stronger. This may not be her most iconic record, but it lays the foundations for the future.

Song recommendations: ’Normal Thing’, ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’, ‘Risk’

7/10

Week 15- The Libertines- All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade

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In August 1997, a young teenager named Pete Doherty was interviewed on television outside His Master’s Voice, Oxford Street. He shared his thoughts on Oasis’s eagerly awaited third album, “Be Here Now,” and his opinion of the band. Pete later co-founded The Libertines (Originally The Strand) with his flatmate Carl Barât, although their names and band name were unknown. The band had a history of members leaving and returning before eventually signing with the infamous Rough Trade in 2001. Razorlight’s Johnny Borrell briefly served as a bassist for the band. The drummer, Paul Dufour, was sacked by their female manager, Banny Pootschi, for being ‘too old.’ An American-born Brit named Gary Powell was recruited to play on their debut album, “Up the Bracket,” released a year later.

The band was known for performing guerilla gigs, inviting fans to their flat to watch them perform, often causing trouble with the police. During this period, they experimented with various drugs, including cocaine, crack, heroin, and cannabis. Pete and Carl’s friendship was also unstable, swinging from best mates to enemies, reflected in their 2004 self-titled album, especially in their monumental anthem, ‘Can’t Stand Me Now,’ and ‘Don’t Look Back into the Sun.’ Unfortunately, the band split the same year due to infighting between Pete and Carl.

Pete later formed Babyshambles a year before The Libertines split, while Carl formed Dirty Pretty Things a year later. In March 2010, the band announced that they would reform and headline the Reading + Leeds festival in August, surprising fans as Pete and Carl had not spoken since the band split. The short reunion was a success, with thousands of fans flocking to the stage and several others watching on the BBC. The gigs are the main search results on YouTube for their live performances.

Carl stated in an interview two years later that he could see the band reforming again. Another two years passed when a cryptic picture of Hyde Park appeared on their Facebook page on April 20. The Barclaycard British Summer Time Festival then made an offer to Pete and Carl to perform on July 5 and close out Saturday. They accepted the offer, and a further surprise was in store when they announced they would perform three nights at Alexandra Palace in late September. I had the fortune of attending the final night with my friend Keano. Circa Waves supported them, and it was fantastic. We were absolutely fucked, but then so were Pete and Carl. I do not remember much of the gig, but we enjoyed ourselves. I have to watch videos of that night to remember just how good the performance was, and it is the band at their best. They were back, and you could feel the chemistry.

After those four successful gigs, Pete attended Hope Rehab Centre in Thailand. Once he completed his rehab, the band joined him in January 2015 to start writing the next album. The album was released later in the year and called “Anthems for Doomed Youth.” It topped the charts at No.3. The band has been together since, with Pete having a solo project from 2016 and Carl returning during hibernations to Dirty Pretty Things.

Now, regarding their newest album, it is unbelievable that it has been nine years since the band’s last release. They have been on the road regularly since their second reformation a decade ago. Their name, song titles, and albums all reference books. The new album, “All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade,” is no different and has no interludes.

The album opener is ‘Run Run Run,’ which discusses escaping the past over quintessential indie from the early 2000s, most notably The Strokes. ‘Mustang’ has the bass and drum sound that the band was known for in the early 2000s.

Pete takes over from Carl on ‘Have a Friend,’ which has the same structure as a typical Libertines track but lacks the punch instrumentally. ‘Man with the Melody’ is one of the slower tracks on the album, and Pete and Carl talk about facing their demons on this piano ballad complete with strings.

‘Night of the Hunter’ adds the band’s love of books to the mix, something the band is known for with tracks like ‘What Katie Did.’ They have a knack for turning books they have read into their original songs with nods to the book. The record teaser ‘Shiver’ departs from their indie/rock roots. It is more theatric and sounds quite evil before it fades out.

‘Be Young’ is my favourite from the album, and there are no prizes for guessing why. This is the band with their wall of sound, the sounds we have known since “Up the Bracket.”

The closer is ‘Songs They Never Play on the Radio’. This song sounds similar to ‘Music When the Lights Out’. When the pair trade off vocals, the delivery mimics that song, and so does the instrumentation. It is a good way to end the album, as the tempo is brought down.

In my opinion, “All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade” represents the band clean and sober. There is a more mature sound and less chaos than what you had on “Up the Bracket” and the self-titled record. “Anthems for Doomed Youth” was a bit calmer, but this one certainly has the lads discussing hard-hitting issues with less kick in the music. Hopefully, we will not have to wait another nine years for the next album.

I look forward to hearing how these new songs with a more mature approach go down on the tour, which is almost sold out.

Song recommendations: ‘Be Young’, ‘Song They Never Play on the Radio’, ‘Run Run Run’

8/10

Week 10: Liam Gallagher & John Squire- Liam Gallagher John Squire

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As you know, the Stone Roses guitarist John Squire joined Oasis onstage in 1996 at their iconic Knebworth Park shows to play lead on ‘Champagne Supernova’. He also repeated this on Liam’s return to the venue as a solo artist in 2022. Back when John was rehearsing the song with Liam, John mentioned that he was in the process of writing an album and needed a vocalist. He said that Liam’s vocals would be ideal, and from there, Liam listened to the demos and decided he would be interested in collaborating with John. Liam grew up a Stone Roses fan, and in the earlier Oasis recordings, his vocals sounded like Ian Brown. The duo would head over to Los Angeles to record the self-titled album in the studio.

Of course, the project only came to light during the first month of the new year, when the duo released their first single, ‘Just Another Rainbow’ —a typical Stone Roses-esque song.

Once it was confirmed that the duo was releasing a record, Liam described it as Stone Roses and Oasis in their prime. When you listen to the album, that is certainly evident. As you can imagine, there are many Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, et cetera, within the songs because those bands heavily influenced both of them.

As well as being a nostalgic record filled with romance, there are modern references in songs like ‘I’m So Bored’, where John attacks modern technology, expressing that we tend to live in our phones rather than connecting with the real world.

You can tell Liam and John had fun on the album, with Greg Kurstin on production. Many Liam’s fans complain about it not being full-on rock n roll. It was never meant to be. Stones Roses are more psychedelic, so this would always lean heavily towards that. Apart from finding the lyrics cheesy, I also found them quite basic, and Liam’s vocals feel strained and nasal over the music. John is excellent as always and has retained his ability to show his axemanship. It wasn’t my cup of green tea, but good luck to them.

Song recommendations: ‘Mars to Liverpool’, ‘Just Another Rainbow’, ‘I’m So Bored’

7/10

Week 6: the Last Dinner Party- Prelude to Ecstasy

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Once again, this is another cliché. I found this band via Later…with Jools Holland, where they performed ‘Nothing Matters’ and ‘ My Lady of Mercy’. From there, I scoured YouTube, looking for information about them. I came across a review of one of their tracks, plus a little background on them by The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins. He does a review show on there called Justin Hawkins Rides Again. It has become so popular that he is taking it out on the road. I was highly impressed with his knowledge of every tone in the track. He also mentioned that the band are rumoured to be “industry plants”. Now, if they are, who cares? You can tell they are highly talented, so they would inevitably break through regardless. This rumour is circulating because the band had minimal performances before being signed. Skunk Anansie must have been “industry plants” if that’s the case. They were signed after four gigs. That’s how ridiculous this rumour is for me. I am sure Skunk Anansie was in the right place at the right time. The other suspicions are that they also signed to the prestigious Island Records, have over 30 million streams for ‘Nothing Matters’ on Spotify, and have had this album produced by James Ford, who has recently worked with Blur, Kylie Minogue, and Arctic Monkeys on their current records.

So, a little background on the band: They are from London. An all-female rock band (I beg to differ on rock.)consisting of Abigail Morris (Leading vocalist), Lizzie Mayland (Backing vocalist, guitarist, flautist), Emily Roberts (Guitarist, backing vocalist, flautist, mandolin), Georgia Davies (Bassist, backing vocalist), and Aurora Nishevci (Backing vocalist, organist, synthesiser, conductor, string arranger). I believe they also met at university, which is another reason people are suspicious of their rise. Fuck knows what that has to do with it. I like the name of the album, and I found the cover art quite eye-catching. The name might have a negative impact because it mentions a specific substance that also has taken its name from a form of joy. As everyone knows, I detest preludes/interludes, but there was a certain magic to them this time. There are two interludes. The title track and ‘Gjuha’, with the latter coming in just after the halfway point. Both tracks feature incredible vocal harmonies over what can only be described as booming classical music. From the reading, there is no clear indication that an orchestra was used, but it sounded like one in the prelude/interlude. You must admire the sheer audacity of using such music when this album was released in the mainstream. From this, you can tell that the ladies do not want to conform.

The band reminds me of a cross between Florence and the Machine and Elastica. Because of their sound, but also, Abigail sounds similar to Justine Frischmann. Talking of Abigail, her best vocal performance is ‘On Your Side’. However, that doesn’t take away from the other tracks. She is an outstanding vocalist.

The highlight has to be ‘Caesar on a TV Screen’. It changes throughout with different genres and tempos. Quite a lot of the tracks stop suddenly, but after half a minute, they come back in with frantic tempos, usually classical or a stabbing piano. The title of the record is quite apt. There are many moments of ecstasy. I was left highly impressed. It is pretty hard to believe that this is only a debut album.

Song recommendations: ‘Caesar on a TV Screen’, ‘On Your Side’, ‘My Lady of Mercy’

8/10

Week 5: James Arthur- Bitter Sweet Love

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I have never been a fan of this 2012 X Factor winner, nor do I believe he should be No.1 after a bullshit technicality. The Reytons outsold him, but James got it due to a complaint from some jobsworth in the industry. I believe this decision has marred this week’s chart. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if corruption was involved. Unlike a fair few of the former winners and contestants of the ITV talent show, James has grafted away while they have disappeared into obscurity. He also has a mad hairstyle—a cross between Mike Flowers and Tim Burgess without the bleach blonde. 

“Bitter Sweet Love” is the fifth album released by James. Although he has distinctly husky and soulful vocals, how long has he got before this no longer carries him? Yes, it is different from the likes of Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles, and I am going to throw an obscure one from 2011, Josh Kumra, but they are versatile. When reading about this record or purely people’s opinions, I heard it was full-on rock. Really? Where? I heard some rock but also plenty of piano ballads and acoustic moments. The album is quite reflective. ‘Free Falling’, ‘Just Us’, and ‘Is It Alright?’ have some hard-hitting lyrics, but that’s about it. I tend to like piano ballads and acoustic songs, but they made this record disjointed, and you drift away because they are too frequent on what is allegedly a “rock album”.

The opener is the title track, which unfortunately turns out to be a false dawn. As I said, the record needs to maintain your interest. The title track, however, captures your attention with its bombastic sound. There are a few more moments like that on the album. ‘Blindside’ draws inspiration from the 1980s, and the highlight must be ‘Comeback Kid’. Now that is full-on rock. His attempts at being political on ‘New Generation’ fall flat. It had a nice rock feel, though.

Listen at your discretion, but I’m afraid there are too many moments when your concentration drifts away. The Reytons have been robbed, and this record didn’t deserve to “win”.

Song recommendations: ‘Comeback Kid’, ‘Bitter Sweet Love’, ‘Just Us’

6/10

Week 47: Madness- Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est La Vie

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Who doesn’t like Madness? I mean, you have ‘Baggy Trousers’, ‘Our House’, ‘House of Fun’, Midnight Boat to Cairo’, ‘Lovestruck’ and ‘One Step Beyond’ to name a few classics by the collective. Of course, there is a more serious side to the band with songs such as ‘Must be Love’ and ‘Johnny the Horse’. They are not all full-on ska and uplifting sing-a-longs.

I recall a film that came out via BT and AMC during one of the lockdowns called “Before We Was We”, featuring the current members and the former member Chas Smash (if it wasn’t for him being the hype man, to begin with, I am not sure Madness would have been signed.) and this album kind of follows that theatre vibe. You have an introduction, prologue, acts, and, of course, the finish.

Leading off from the opening paragraph, this record is not your typical lively Madness album, but one that is quite reflective and discusses the current climate of world affairs. What is refreshing about the record is the band has made it the way they want it. Some fans might have got over-excited when the band announced a new album, clearly expecting the usual knees-up anthems. People like me, on the other hand, welcome this. It is quite an eclectic listen; for example, ‘Run for Your Life’ is rock, ‘If I Go Mad’ is funk, and ‘Set Me Free’  brings melancholy. Thommo takes over from Suggs to lead vocals on ‘What on Earth is it (You Take Me For?’ and ‘the Law According to Dr. Kippah’ with Suggs backing him on the latter. Thommo also does what is really the opening track (If you exclude the pointless prologue.), ‘Theatre of the Absurd’, where he does it in spoken word.

The prologue appears to be in a crowded place, more than likely a public house, because you can hear hubbub. I didn’t pay that much attention to that, the acts, and the finish because they are pointless fillers. They are short and add nothing except to give it a “theatre” feel. These are all narrated by the actor Martin Freeman. ‘In My Street’ has the familiarity of their classic ‘Our House’, and trust me, when you hear it, you will immediately come to the same conclusion.

I suggest the clowns who voted leave give this a miss because the band are unapologetic as they rip to shreds the sorry state Britain is in due to the consequences. They aim at racists and politicians and how the country is on its knees. Despite the raw subject matters, they are cleverly concealed among love, humour, catchy hooks, and optimism. It’s not your quintessential Madness record, and I am surprised this is their first ever No.1 album when they had some vibrant ones out during their pomp. It is worthy of its place and shows their more sincere and political side. It’ll be interesting to see if it becomes timeless due to the nature of the record. 

Song recommendations: ‘In My Street’, ‘Set Me Free’, ‘Theatre of the Absurd’

8/10

Week 43: Taylor Swift- 1989 (Taylor’s Version)

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Is this the final one of Taylor’s versions? I cannot remember. I recall saying in the first instalment of Taylor’s Version how many she planned to re-record to fuck over that twat who held the original master tapes to ransom. 

“1989” was the breakthrough album for Taylor and a firm Swiftie’s favourite. Remarkably, this has inevitably been re-recorded because, as I have mentioned in the previous Taylor’s Version reviews, her vocals are mature, rather than the angry teenager from the originals, and her experience through the years has made the re-recorded songs richer in sound.

As you will recall from the originals, ‘Blank Space’ had a spring effect, which has now been rectified, and ‘Out of the Woods’ has now been beefed up with more reverb. ‘Style’ now has an altered guitar tone as well.

Of course, as mentioned several times by myself over all of these specific reviews, I have been impressed with her more measured vocals, and they particularly stand out on ‘Clean’ and ‘I Know Places’, where she uses her power. The latter, if I remember correctly, didn’t have much else going for

it. I recall repeated lyrics. Jack Antonoff, who I felt fell on “Midnights”, gets it right this time, especially on ‘I Wish You Would’, and ‘How You Get the Girl’.

As I have also mentioned, I have been a big fan of the “From the Vaults” tracks used for bonus material. I especially liked ‘Is It Over’ and ‘Now That We Don’t Talk’. Although the “From the Vaults” tracks do not seem to synchronise with any of the re-recordings, it doesn’t matter much because they indicate how far Taylor has come as an artist and songwriter.

Song recommendations: ‘Is it Over’, ‘How You Get the Girl’, ‘Clean’

8/10

Week 42: the Rolling Stones- Hackney Diamonds

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Here is a track-by-track review of the band’s new material for a very long time:

Angry:

The teaser for the record is undoubtedly up-tempo and effortless. It reminded me of some of their songs from the 80s. More so with the riffs rather than Mick’s vocals, which never seem to change.

Get Close:

What I liked about this track is the band went rogue with this one and added a saxophone solo and harmonies that are hardly “a la mode”. However, I like all that avant-garde stuff, so fair play to them for not trying to follow the trend—the first of two tracks to feaure Elton John.

Depending on You:

It is a radio-friendly country ballad complete with soaring strings.

Bite My Head Off:

Paul McCartney (Who recommended they return to the studio for the first time in over a decade.) features on this punk-fuelled track. You wouldn’t know his presence on the track until Mick bellows, “Come on, Paul!”. 

Whole Wide World:

Another high-energy track that discusses Mick and Keith addressing youngsters about the things to look out for before they grow old and wise.

Dreamy Skies:

This is the halfway point and the end of the A-side of the vinyl (if you happen to purchase it.). As you can imagine, as it is the final track on the A-side of the vinyl, the tempo eases to a plodding country ballad, yet instead of lulling you to sleep, it still maintains the energy enough to grab your concentration.

Mess it up:

The vinyl’s flip side, or the second half of the record, begins with an outro/intro to give you the sense of being involved in the recording process in the studio with the band. Disco is not their most robust genre for experimenting, but it works with the stomping piano thrown in at the breakdown—this is one of the final tracks to feature their late drummer, Charle Watts.

Live by the Sword:

This is the final track to feature his drumming, leading off from the Charlie Watts thing. It is fitting, then, that this is also another uplifting track with a vibrant piano riff. However, this one is less disco and more what can only be described as a nod to the late Elvis Presley with Elton John(second and final track.) providing the aforementioned vibrant piano riff. Although not lyrically strong, it is surpassed by Mick’s vocal skills and Elton’s dazzling piano playing. Don Was from Was(Not Was) is on production. Ex-bassist Bill Wyman also makes a cameo.

Driving Me too Hard:

It’s a quintessential Stones track with recycled riffs. One for the purists rather than the casuals who might find this “safe” and just a filler.

Tell Me Straight:

It was the first track to have guitarist Keith Richards take over vocal duties. His vocals suit this melancholic ballad. Surprisingly, you want this one to last longer because there appears to be beauty in listening to this. I like melancholic songs, which the Smiths and Noel Gallagher have mastered, so I’ll let you cast your aspersions here.

Sweet Sounds of Heaven:

A sublime track. With Lady Gaga singing and the great Stevie Wonder working his magic on the keys, it doesn’t feel like the Rolling Bones(Deliberate.)are on this in any way, shape or form. It’s quite surreal seeing the band cede control of their track. It is the longest, weighing in at over seven minutes. Although Lady Gaga soars with her vocal performance, what happens when Mick returns to duet is beyond words. This gospel-inspired song is just exquisite. My favourite by far.

Rolling Stone Blues:

We end the album with the cover ‘Rolling Stone Blues’ by the legendary and late Muddy Waters. This is the first time the band have recorded the cover, despite it inspiring their name. It is a comedown after celestial ‘Sweet Sounds of Heaven’, but it doesn’t feel inferior in the slightest. 

Song recommendations: ‘Sweet Sounds of Heaven’, ‘Angry’, ‘Mess it up’

Week 41: Ren- Sick Boi

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The first I heard of Ren was when the Welsh rapper/vocalist/guitarist/songwriter, who is Brighton-based, released a video on social media saying how surprised he was that he might get the top spot this week. From there, I checked out his material and loved it. I fucking love “Sick Boi”. It is choc-full of wittiness, wordplay, sarcasm, comedy, and profound moments. There is even a sample of Barrington Levy’s ‘Murderer’, which appropriately carries the same name. This record talks about Ren’s years of being in bed with some physical illness, and I think he is borderline schizophrenic from what I have read. I know he mentions depression and feeling suicidal on the album.

I forgot to mention that Ren does spoken word, too, which shines throughout. His songs are both funny and serious. You will notice in his songs that he changes his vocal delivery. He puts on soft vocals for the good side, and for the evil side, he is more nasal. He also uses an array of vocal deliveries to represent what verse you are listening to. I could name most, but you will get the gist once you have listened to what I am saying. The change-up in rhythm to his vocals is just impressive, plus he sometimes gets out the acoustic guitar. I loved ‘Down on the Beat’, ‘Animal Flow’, and even tender moments like ‘Suicide’. This album is mad because you get to see Ren battle himself brutally and honestly. However, don’t be put off by his mental health issues because he is one talented guy. The mainstream has been sleeping on him. It is excellent he is finally getting the recognition he so richly deserves. Hopefully, “Sick Boi” getting to number one will help his convalescence.

Song recommendations: ‘Suicide’, ‘Down on the Beat’, ‘Animal Flow’

9/10