Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (June 8, 2009)

Oh my God.. oh my God… With their first record they impressed critics and music lovers and shaked up the brit-pop; after the outcome of disappointing Escare, i forgot their name; but the new album… OMG!

West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is like a rock album should be made: some hits, some piece that makes you lose yourself on the dancefloor and a ballad that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

But now let’s start from the title: West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum refers to an historical insane asylum founded in 1818 in the Yorkshire. In fact this album is like an Asylum where you can find everything.

The Kasabian exceded!

Scraggy riff and warm drums, “Kill me if you dare/ Hold my head up everywhere/ Keep myself right on this train”: that’s the first song Underdog.

Where did all the love go? it’s a very nice episode, but is too much inspired by Gorillaz sound (compare it with Feel Good Inc.). That’s no wonder if you think of the producer being Dan “the Automator” Nakamura from Gorillaz!

The next track Swarfiga is the most controversial one. Only 2 minutes of experimental electro is just a little more than an interlude, but not a real song… mumble mumble… it perplexes me totally!

Fast fuse is a bomb! “Come get me / All you people can’t touch me /

I’m a hooligan cry, shy, sit down tight, / It don’t matter / give me one, two, three / come light in the skylight / come light me in the sky”, while in Take him the beat slows down and the sound becomes “gallagherian” .

The next Thick as thieves changes one more time the ambience, like a soundtrack, using messican strings.

Days drift into one / It’s so pretty / Travelling we’ll burys Polly’s photofits / And this stolen car / Is loaded with junk / It’s so dirty / He’ll be the death of me / But that’s ok wrote Mr. Pizzorno in the West Rider Silver Bullet which called the actress Rosario Dawson for a performance in this psychedelic song.

Vlad The Impaler is my favorite track: hammering bass, strong beat and lyrics deal with the cruel impalement used by Vlad II: You can’t miss me I’m still alive / Snake skin shoes I’m pleading omicide / Come on and feel this I’m still alive / Joker meet you on the other side.

After this adrenaline overdose, the ballad Ladies and Gentlemen fits perfectly in the album (No matter what you do, you know / The world it keeps on turning /

We never feel a thing / Come on and meet me at the Carnival). It seems a perfect end for this masterwork, but like I said bifore, Kasabian exceeded and there are other 3 songs as well: Secret alphabet, Happiness but, above all, the single Fire!

“Shake me into the night and I’m an easy lover / Take me into the fight and I’m an easy brother / And I’m on fire”

Impossibile to stay fixed in place listening this hit!

I have never been a Kasabian’s fan, but this album is something special, as honest tribute to 90’s and obviously to England.

The best is the way that West Ryder leaves us:

Save what you got

Keep it safe

Don’t ever stop

It’s nothing more

It’s nothing less

It’s all I got

It’s happiness

Happiness!

Ciao Belli!

Giorgio

RATING: ☻ ☻ ☻ ☻ ☺ 4,5 / 5

Tracklist:

1.Underdog

2.Where Did All the Love Go?

3.Swarfiga

4.Fast Fuse

5.Take Aim

6.Thick As Thieves

7.West Ryder Silver Bullet

8.Vlad the Impaler

9.Ladies and Gentlemen (Roll the Dice)

10.Secret Alphabets

11.Fire

12.Happiness

GIGS:

Guildhall, Southampton, UK

Thu 2nd Jul, 2009

Centre, Newport, UK

Fri 3rd Jul, 2009

Eden Sessions, Cornwall, UK

Sat 4th Jul, 2009

Guildhall, Portsmouth, UK

Mon 6th Jul, 2009

Corn Exchange, Cambridge, UK

Tue 7th Jul, 2009

Wembley Stadium, London, UK

Thu 9th Jul, 2009

Wembley Stadium, London, UK

Sat 11th Jul, 2009

Wembley Stadium, London, UK

Sun 12th Jul, 2009

Brixton Academy, London, UK

Thu 16th Jul, 2009

Brixton Academy, London, UK

Fri 17th Jul, 2009

Roundhouse, London, UK

Wed 22nd Jul, 2009

Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, UK

Mon 24th Aug, 2009

Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, UK

Tue 25th Aug, 2009

Rest In Peace, Michael

Paramedics found Jackson in cardiac arrest when they arrived at his home shortly before 12:30 p.m., three minutes and 17 seconds after receiving a 911 call. His personal physician was already in the house performing CPR. Jackson was not breathing, and it appears he never regained consciousness. Paramedics treated Jackson at the house for 42 minutes, and he was declared dead at 2:26 p.m. at UCLA Medical Center, about two miles from his home above Sunset Boulevard.

http://www.latimes.com

After death of Kurt Cobain, personally for me this is the biggest loss in music. The greatest icon of pop music lost everything in last years of his life and couldn’t make a comeback. Being stoned for numerous surgeries and strange behaviour he will remain one of the most misunderstood persons in the world. He was a King and he lived like a King.

Rest In Peace, Michael

Yours sadly
Gaya

New Album from Klaxons: not earlier than 2010

Despite claiming that they have about 30 songs ready, Klaxons won’t release new album this year. The reason is: there is no producer. Jamie Reynolds told BBC 6 Music: “We’re looking for a producer and if anyone out there makes records, give us a bell.”
The guys are careful in this case and don’t want to produce the album by themselves, maybe thinking it won’t be perfect that way. “We’d really like to put out the first great record of the 2010s rather than the last great one of this decade. Now that’s become an aspiration and a goal.”
This had negative response from the fans of the band. Yes, we can imagine, the release of forthcoming album has been delayed.. again.. till 2010..

Yours truly Gaya

Klaxons – Myths Of The Near Future (January 29, 2007)

New Musical Express (NME) shapes the history of indie rock music and we all know that. And though Klaxons say that all the rumors about New Rave were just a joke, NME still praises them as pioneers of the style. NME killed New Rave in 2008 but still there are too many bands in this genre, just creating their line-ups.. Ok, whatever!

Forming in 2005, this band released only 1 ablum so far, an album which appeared to be a big influence on many other bands!

Myths Of The Near Future, totally futuristic! Representing the stressed and stressing sound of Klaxons, from the first “sight” it seems to be dance music, but too dark. No surprises, Magick is a dancefloor hit! The album is not from the easy listening stuff. Its sound, tunes and melodies change from track to track just “before your eyes”!

The album starts with melodic Two Receivers which creates quite depressive mood with images of stormy weather, lightning, two receivers and the ocean that turns to the space from time to time. Then a rush of beats! Yes, this is Atlantis To Interzone. Not only song but also the video expresses the crazyness and colourful neon mood of Klaxons. And here is where we can find out why the hell they are called Klaxons! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s all about klaxons, alerting devices

Then comes Golden Skans, probably the hit of theirs, which brought them NME Award for Best International Track. And they performed with Rihanna on Brit Awards, playing Golden Skans (only music and the famous “oooooooooh-uuuh”) while she was singing Umbrella.

Rihanna and The Klaxons – Umbrella – BRIT Awards 2008

Next, Totem On The Timeline, quite “high” song:

At club 18-30 I met Julius Caesar,

Lady Diana and Mother Theresa.

Then come a few really “annoying” tracks: As Above So Below, Isle Of Her, Gravity’s Rainbow and Forgotten Works. Those are really complicated songs worthy to listen to for really cool and sometimes surreal lyrics. Isle Of Her is really a piece of fairy tale, sometimes turning into a nightmare.

There’s only seven more miles to go

We’ll reach the Isle of Her

We’ll find the peacocks tail

We’ll steal the mother of pearl

We’ll eat the dancing girls

Cyclops gazing alone

Facing mirrors that show

The reflection of his own

Face to face

We’re seven miles from shore

Just keep on going

Now some dark dance music with non-sense phrases. Yes, it’s Magick! With psychedelic beats turning into melodic bridges, it really can drive you crazy and push into losing the sense of reality. Then it turns into a klaxonfull ballad – It’s Not Over Yet. Does it sound familiar? Right, it’s a cover of Grace song which was released in 1995.

And here is another epic song, apparently the last one on the album – Four Horsemen of 2012. Personally for me this is really a driving song which I used in a radio commercial for a famous company that produces sportive clothings.

Four Horsemen twenty-twelve…

Klaxons not centaurs!

Despite the strange music, sometimes getting really annoying, Klaxons are the band depending on mood, like Muse. Creating a unique sound, mixing drive with melodic tunes, strike beats and multiple voices, Myths Of The Near Future is a MUST to listen. Go grab your copy!

Yours truly

Gaya

The Vines – Winning Days (March 29, 2004)

VINESSSS!!!!!!!
Yes, you can’t just say, you need to SHOUT their name!
I personally cannot imagine The Vines vocalist Craig’s mouth not being open up to ears and voice driving you into euphoria! His ability to give a birth to unbelievable sounds makes you think he is one of those who have an art of yelling!
The Vines have been numerously named as a Nirvana band and I think there is something really similar especially the drive and the vocal of Craig though The Vines’ songs are much more positive, childishly naughty and careless! They guarantee you an incredible adrenaline rush and mass loss of sanity! Vines are absolutely out of their wits and sometimes you just can’t believe they are able to perform ballads with the same success as their branded mad shouts. BUT THEY DO!!! Anything from heart melting solos to the loudest shouts ever can be found in the Winning Days. Though not accepted with applauds by most of the musical judges considering it as a weaker reproduction of Highly Evolved (the band’s first album) this album has super melodies you never get tired of re-listening such as Sunchild, Rainfall!

Amnesia is penetrating soo deep into your soul and beats along with your heartbeats, a very great song that despite its simplicity is so infective and mystical probably due to the perfectly harmonized and synchronized voices.

The Winning Days has a very Beatles like vocal with a quite long for The Vines solo and a sudden turn into a more rhythmic end at the end.

Hard-listening Evil Town with lots of distorted guitar and voice is probably the darkest song with the darkest text:

She sells and I don’t
Like it feels
Like shonen knife and kills
But they dont mind in an evil town…

My favorite song Autumn Shade II is limitlessly melancholic making you cry really feeling the autumn leaves falling symbolizing the end of something. It is named as “2″ as there was already another Autumn Shade in the first album Highly Evolved but they are not related in anyhow. So i really don’t get the meaning of naming this song the same way again. If anyone knows the purpose or has some guesses please feel free to instruct me on this!

Songs like Animal Machine and Fuck the World as well as are specially designed to pour out all your anger with this world. For this you just need to turn it on the highestpossible volume and yell as high as you can along with The Vines!

Ride and She’s Got Something are energetic and dancing songs for tearing-everything-around parties!:)))

It’s also very interesting to view their live performances as well probably due to mostly Craig’s charismatic acts; he seems very himself on the stage and doesn’t need to be anything else to be loved.

Tracklist:

1. Ride 2:34
2. Animal Machine 3:27
3. TV Pro 3:46
4. Autumn Shade II 3:13
5. Evil Town 3:05
6. Winning Days 3:32
7. She’s Got Something to Say 2:30
8. Rainfall 3:22
9. Amnesia 4:40
10. Sun Child 4:32
11. Fuck the World 3:41

Zemfira – Vendetta (March 1, 2005)

What do we know about Zemfira? This is one of the leading Russian rock bands which was formed in the middle of 90-s by a young, aggressive, cynical but in its own way charming girl (the band was named by her name). In the first period her songs were a little bit simple but urgent. She was singing about A.I.D.S., teenage sexuality, neighbors killing and of course about love. Mounting all that with a pretty interesting arrangement and unique singing style Zemfira soon grew very popular. Anyway let’s not particularize band’s formation. I will just say that Zemfira is a type of artist that projects all her musical and emotional growth into the creation. Exactly that we can see in the album Vendetta.

The first track Небомореоблака (Skyseaclouds) already impresses with its heavy riff sound which makes you concentrate on the music. The song by itself is a protest! Protest against commerce, globalization, prostitution and all the scum that filled 21-th century. By it’s stylistics that song is alone in the album. The next track Дыши (Breathe) sounds more British. By the way in the album brit and alternative (i mean more Radiohead-like sound (especially pay attention to the beginning of the track Повесица (Hang Oneself))) dominates which I think is great ! Among these are Итоги (Resume) and Так И Оставим (Leave As It Is). There are more pure rock’n’roll songs in the album like Дай Мне Руку (Give Me A Hand) and Малыш (Baby). The last one IMHO is a masterpiece not only in this album but even for all Zemfira’s works.
Thus let’s switch to another emotional side of this album. The song Блюз (Blues) which became a single with it’s post-blues sound can be listened literally at one breath and if you close your eyes in the rhythm moment you’ll feel how your body rises up and tries to fly away. It’s incredible! So, lets fly on… Друг (Friend), Жужа (Juja), Красота (Beauty), Самолет (Airplane) tracks captivate with their depressing beautiful mood. Here where you can see Zemfira naked! Yes, exactly, naked! And realize how the girl has grown up. All this sincerity and frankness harmonize with nontraditional arrangements and great work of not only musicians, but the sound engineer as well!
The album ends with surrealistic and melancholic track Jim Beam with it’s original drums and guitar sequence.
At the end of all I’ll say that this album is very original, full of contrast, beauty, frankness and claims to the highest praises!

P.S.
Highly recommended to enjoy this album lying or riding in a car (advisable in the night)

Best wishes, Zepp London

Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown (May 15, 2009)

It was 1994. The Clinton-age has just begun: The USA hosted the Football World Cup for the first time. Kurt Cobain’s death announced that grunge is dead. Rock will survive for more four years only. 3 young californian guys, signing a contract with a major label, released one of the most influential and popular punk-rock albums: lots of power-pop band (such as Blink182, Sum41, Good Charlotte) were inspired by the masterwork Dookie. But the outcomes were loathsome. In the last 15 years Green day turned into a commercial pop-rock band, an icon for MTV-generations. The apotheosis happened with American Idiot (2004); through that colossal “marketable” album, Green Day became the spokesmen of disillusioned American people against the pitiful Bush’s policy.

It took five long years of intensive work for the new episode out, “21st Century breakdown”.
The album is composed of 3 acts (“Heroes and cons”, “Charlatans and Saints” and “Horseshoes and handgrenades“) and connected with the story of Gloria and Cristian, two young punks in love which announced isolation and desolation in our modern society.
Times now have really changed but things are still not ok. “My generation is zero/I never made it as a working-class hero” sings Billie Joe Armstrong in 21st century breakdown and “We are the cries of the class of 13 Born in the era of humility/ We are the desperate in the decline Raised by the bastards of 1969”.
In the last single Know your enemy, we can find a little bit of their fighting spirit at first; “Violence is an energy / Silence is the enemy / So gimme, gimme revolution”.
Good idea was to include violin and piano in the “teenage” ¡viva La Gloria!: You blast your name / In graffiti on the walls / Falling Through broken glass that’s / slashing through your spirit / I can hear it like a jilted crowd.
The ballad Last Night on Earth is charming, even if excessively sloppy and pop (“My beating heart belongs to you / I walked for miles ’til I found you / I’m here to honor you”).
East Jesus Nowhere starts with a riff that hammers in your head as well as the controversial chorus: “A fire burns today / Of blasphemy and genocide / The sirens of decay / Will infiltrate the faith fanatics “
21 guns, the second single, is a slow classic rock hit that we will sing for a long time…”One, 21 guns / Lay down your arms / Give up the fight”.
But every single song of this album deserves to be mentioned.
It’s not by pure chance that 21st Century breakdown is produced by Butch Vig: tells you something about Nevermind?

Concerning the themes Green Day still follows the manistream of previous “American Idiot”, on the other hand (and that’s the good news!) they are back to origins in sense of sound: speed rythms, big energy, with a more variety and cheerful.
Because of its 69 minute length and the absence of hits (such as American Idiot or Wake Me Up When September Ends) 21st Century breakdown isn’t an easy listening record, but it’s the best and a very distinguished record made by Green Day in the last ten years.

Ciao belli!
Giorgio

RATING: ●●●●○ 4/5

TRACKLIST:

Act I – Heroes and cons
“Song of the century”
“21st century breakdown”
“Know Your Enemy”
“¡Viva la Gloria!”
“Before the lobotomy”
“Christian’s Inferno”
“Last night on Earth”

Act II – Charlatans and Saints
“East Jesus nowhere”
“Peacemaker”
“Last of the American girls”
“Murder City”
“¿Viva la Gloria? (Little girl)”
“Restless heart syndrome”

Act III – Horseshoes and handgrenades
“Horseshoes and handgrenades”
“The static age”
“21 guns”
“American eulogy”
“I. Mass hysteria”
“II. Modern world”
“See the light”

NEXT TOUR DATES:

Jul. 03, 2009 Seattle, WA
Jul. 04, 2009 Vancouver, BC
Jul. 06, 2009 Edmonton, AB
Jul. 07, 2009 Saskatoon, SAS
Jul. 09, 2009 Winnipeg, MAN
Jul. 10, 2009 Fargo, ND
Jul. 11, 2009 Minneapolis, MN
Jul. 13, 2009 Chicago, IL
Jul. 14, 2009 Detriot, MI
Jul. 16, 2009 Hamilton, ONT
Jul. 17, 2009 Ottawa, ONT
Jul. 18, 2009 Montreal, QUE
Jul. 20, 2009 Boston, MA
Jul. 21, 2009 Philadelphia, PA
Jul. 22, 2009 Pittsburgh, PA
Jul. 24, 2009 Hartford, CT
Jul. 25, 2009 Albany, NY
Jul. 27, 2009 New York, NY
Jul. 28, 2009 New York, NY
Jul. 29, 2009 Washington, DC
Jul. 31, 2009 Nashville, TN

Jet – The Wild One Killed In Action

Do you like Emperor’s New Groove? About the Emperor Kuzco.. Well, do you remember the episode when the lama saves Pacha’s life after the collapse of a rope bridge, and he says “aha, aha-aha-aha”. This phrase you will remember first after you hear the new song K.I.A. (Killed In Action) of Australian band Jet. Yes, you can get prepared your ears and remind yourself some twist-moves because in August you just HAVE to dance to and sing along with the new album of these Aussies!

After huge success of the first album Get Born in 2003 which became platinum and Shine On in 2006, which was, well, quite weak for the band and did not make any big noise many people, including me, probably were thinking that this band will collapse. Fortunately not! In 2008 they released a tribute cover of Johnny O’Keefe’s song The Wild One together with Iggy Pop. The single included the cover version, the original one (remastered) and 2 awesome dance remixes. This release assured all the Jet fans that the band WILL return soon and it will be much more powerful thing than Shine On.
On April, 2009, Jet made K.I.A. available on their official website. And now it’s clear that the band will release Shaka Rock, the 3rd studio album, on August 25, 2009. Jet performed some of the new songs live during the concerts in late 2008 and 2009. The first single is announced to be She’s a Genius.

Meanwhile K.I.A. having a really crazy drive but not on the highest speed, sounds like a clockwork bomb ready to explode on August 25, 2009! It will be like.. you know.. Tick Tick BOOOOOM!!!

Be aware!

Yours truly
Gaya

Arctic Monkeys to release new album in August 2009

Arctic Monkeys have announced the title of their upcoming studio album, which is going to be released later this summer. After months of not having any working title at all, the band finally decided to entitle it “Humbug”. As announced earlier, the tracklist is going to be as follows:

01. My Propeller
02. Crying Lightning
03. Dangerous Animals
04. Secret Door
05. Potion Approaching
06. Fire & The Thud
07. Cornerstone
08. Dance Little Liar
09. Pretty Visitors
10. The Jeweller’s Hands

“Humbug” will be available on CD, vinyl and via digital download (yay!) and will be released on August 21st in Ireland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, on the August 24th in UK and 25th in USA and Canada. Only some 2 months to wait!

Kent – Tillbaka Till Samtiden (October 17, 2007)

Sweden, Sweden… What do I know about Sweden? Hmm… Carlson, nice friends, universities, Abba… The Hives… and Kent!

They are never fond of appearing in public. Always quiet and even not having official website in English! Always hidden from mass media, they are still favourites not only in Sweden but also aboard.

Tillbaka Till Samtiden (Back To The Present) is the seventh studio album of Kent. This record is from my favourite subject of metamorphoses. Starting in 1990 in a little Swedish town Eskilstuna, this band has lived an evolution of sound, starting from rough guitars and inexperienced, unusual vocal for rock music in their first album Kent (1995), reaching to wise mixture of different music styles in their latest record. Partially reminding Depeche Mode now, Kent still haven’t lost their own style noticeable for Joakim Berg’s unforgettable vocal which will make you tremble in Sömnen (The Sleep), cold, typical Swedish tunes, depressive mood and something that is very hard to understand but which ties you to their music. It’s something below your conscience, not logical and indescribable.
All songs in the album are in Swedish: another fact that will make you wonder everytime you come back to their music… “I don’t understand a word from it!” – I said to myself thousands of times. Yes, folks, Kent is more the band of music than lyrics. Although I have found the translations of the song lyrics but I can never remember what they are about. Joakim Berg states that he uses the method of copy-pasting, that’s why sometimes the lyrics make no sense.
In the album you can find consisting-of-2-parts songs. This method of contrast Kent have been using since their first album (for example, När det blåser på månen) but it reaches its limits especially in the latest one. The brightest examples are Elefanter, Vid Din Sida, LSD, Någon?
Having elements of disco music from 80s, using different instruments apart from classic ones, female vocals (usual thing for Kent, lovely), so much reminding of Depeche Mode, in some kind of urban style, Tillbaka Till Samtiden is worthy to listen to and add in media library for sure!

1. “Elefanter” (Elephants) – 5:21
2. “Berlin” (Berlin) – 4:36
3. “Ingenting” (Nothing) – 4:17
4. “Vid din sida” (By your side) – 4:58
5. “Columbus” (Columbus) – 4:29
6. “Sömnen” (The Sleep) – 4:08
7. “Vy från ett luftslott” (View from a Castle in the Air) – 4:25
8. “Våga vara rädd” (Dare to be Afraid) – 4:00
9. “LSD, någon?” (LSD, anyone?) – 4:20
10. “Generation Ex” (Generation Ex) – 4:30
11. “Ensammast i Sverige” (Loneliest in Sweden) – 8:20

Yours truly
Gaya