Short but sweet.

The epitome of cool = Lou Reed

Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground.

Phrazes for the Young

Julian Casablancas’ debut solo album is under allot of pressure from Strokes fans, as this surely would push back the eagerly anticipated 4th album.

The album has been described as ‘based around electro pop’ which is a bit of a dubious description, the normal perfectionist rhythms and sharp sounding guitars have been toned down and there has been an inclusion of a various array of synth sounds which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Strokes record.

There is definitely a catchy-pop/wave edge to this album, a beautiful example of this is the first single ’11th Dimension’ ,’Out of the Blue’ and ‘Left & Right In The Dark’ which I would be surprised hearing as the soundtrack to a video game. But there also some surprising inclusions in such songs as ‘Ludlow Street’ having a country theme, and this can also be found in ’4 Chords of the Apocalypse’, and it works well.

‘River of Brakelights’ abandons all these elements, and stands out on its own on the album. This dosent mean it isn’t a well crafted song, it is. Its dark elements add to the strangeness of the album, in the most positive way possible. Its sophisticated layers and beats lead to a very effective song.

‘Tourist’ has an eastern feel to it, and ‘Glass’ is more american, if you had to pick a geographical location. They both incorporate different instruments and sounds that add to the magnificence of Phrazes for the Young.

Concluding, the creativity Julian Casablancas used to make his band one of the most important bands of the decade is shown in this record. His very alternative, beautifully strange and outstanding 8 track album proves he still has that magnificent songwriting ability. Strokes fans, he hasn’t let you down.

A New Muse..

Notice anything different about Muse in this video?
Matt’s facial expressions are priceless and will give any Muse fan fits of laughter.

Radiohead (Live at Leeds Festival 2009)

Radiohead played a headline set at Leeds Festival, playing brand new material such as ‘These are my Twisted Words’ and many favourites including ‘Nude’,‘Paranoid Android’ and ‘Just’

The band played a mesmerizing two-hour set that passed by far too quickly for my own liking, everything about the performance was stunning. The set was well put together and there was a live video feed of every member of the bands movements on the two big screens.

They started with ’15 Step’, and from then on their set was simply amazing. It was a whole new experience to me, never before had I felt so connected with music.  ‘Lucky’ and ‘Nude’ almost brought me to tears, and im no crier.

This is the best musical performance i’ve ever seen and im sure it will stay that way for years to come.

Radiohead played:
’15 Step’
‘Airbag’
‘There There’
‘All I Need’
‘Lucky’
‘Nude’
‘Morning Bell’
‘Weird Fishes/Arpeggi’
’2+2=5′
‘A Wolf At The Door’
‘Videotape’
‘(Nice Dream)’
‘The Gloaming’
‘Reckoner’
‘The National Anthem’
‘Bodysnatchers’
‘Idioteque’
‘You And Whose Army?’
‘These Are My Twisted Words’
‘Jigsaw Falling Into Place’
‘Paranoid Android’
‘Just’
‘Everything In Its Right Place’

Humbug.

After their debut album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ , there were thoughts on how the band would improve or at-least stay on a par with it on with their second. When ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ came out almost a year later, many saw it as a 2nd part to their first album but then again it disappointed the majority by not living up to the quality of their debut.

Im glad to say that ‘Humbug’ is different, and in a good way. Its much darker, well layered and the band seem to have matured into making some wonderful melodies. Alex’s vocals are much deeper and he sounds more like he’s singing than the talking style heard on their first album. ‘My Propeller’, ‘Crying Lightning’ and ‘Potion Approaching’ show how the band have progressed into this darker style of music with deep ,distorted riffs. ‘Secret Door’ and ‘Cornerstone’ my personal favourites sound similar to ‘Only Ones Who Know’ on their previous album with the dreamy acoustic and melodic vocals.

Overall the album is a worthy progression from their old style of music and I recommend you have a listen when its released on the 24th in the UK.