Single review: LCD Soundsystem – ‘Christmas Will Break Your Heart’

A Christmas miracle from Murphy’s band of bittersweet gloom.

Originally published in The Edge

A flash snowstorm of an LCD Soundsystem return appeared in our Christmas stockings, almost five years after the parting of ways. As James Murphy and the band rip through the festive charade with their typical incisive honesty and schadenfreude-inducing depression poetry eight years in the making, the adage of absence making the heart grow fonder proves itself. Trimmed from 75 lines to “keep the suicide rate in check,” ‘Christmas Will Break Your Heart’ serves as a fitting extension to their previous trembling finale. Continue reading “Single review: LCD Soundsystem – ‘Christmas Will Break Your Heart’”

Single review: Louisa Johnson – ‘Forever Young’

The X Factor conveyor belt comes back around with a Bob Dylan cover that requires patience and misplaced dedication.

Originally published in The Edge

Though the rest of the non-Adele world has moved on, The X Factor seems determined to churn out merchants of meandering vanilla pop. Bob Dylan’s 1974 track ‘Forever Young’ is the latest song with connotations of youthful exuberance and defiance of adversity to receive an agonising balladisation for the festive charts, as 17-year-old Louisa Johnson warbles on the subject of fulfilling dreams and growing up and all that nonsense, with the word “may” appearing every 10 seconds and the title repeated so often it loses meaning. Continue reading “Single review: Louisa Johnson – ‘Forever Young’”

Album review: SOPHIE – Product

Beginning and ending with the only two tracks worth listening to, SOPHIE’s collection of singles leaves more than just an unpleasant ringing behind.

Originally published in The Edge

To celebrate Black Friday, SOPHIE, the foremost enigma of electronic pop who once described his genre as ‘advertising’, has released debut album Product in formats ranging from CD to…silicon thing. The London-based producer, who was last heard soundtracking a McDonald’s commercial (‘LEMONADE’) and collaborating with Madonna and Diplo (‘Bitch I’m Madonna’), made a pseudonym for himself in 2013 when his rather unique approach to the fundamentals of sound production, drowned in a sickly sweet marinade, surfaced through Glaswegian label Numbers. Continue reading “Album review: SOPHIE – Product”

Single review: Coldplay – ‘Adventure Of A Lifetime’

The dawn after the night of Ghost Stories, Adventure Of A Lifetime is an enticing sniff of Coldplay’s happiest album yet.

Originally published in The Edge

Where did Coldplay go after Ghost Stories? Back to the studio to make their happiest album yet, apparently. After teasers in the tube, our first taste of A Head Full Of Dreams comes in the shape of ‘Adventure Of A Lifetime’, where Chris Martin oozes swagger with surprising aplomb. Continue reading “Single review: Coldplay – ‘Adventure Of A Lifetime’”

“I’m writing a song about angry fruit flies” – An interview with Helen Arney from Festival of the Spoken Nerd

Arney talks fax machines and life on the road ahead of her comedy troupe’s sold-out Southampton debut.

Originally published in The Edge

Festival of the Spoken Nerd, the acclaimed science-centric comedy trio of Matt Parker, Steve Mould, and Helen Arney, is currently undertaking a third nationwide tour with their latest show Just For Graphs after a successful 25-show run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Ahead of their sold-out debut in Southampton at the Nuffield Theatre on November 15th, I spoke with Helen about PhD students doing comedy skits, how the trio got together, and the world of fax machines in 2015. Continue reading ““I’m writing a song about angry fruit flies” – An interview with Helen Arney from Festival of the Spoken Nerd”

Film review: Steve Jobs

Screenwriting liberty puts the Apple talisman’s biopic firmly in the land of the Newton

To describe me as a moviegoer would be more than a tad disingenuous. Finding the time to sit down and properly immerse myself in a film, let alone take a trip to a cinema to spend my life savings on a box of popcorn that I’ll regret within minutes, is difficult.

Nevertheless, I do tend to enjoy adaptations of books that document the lives of the modern world’s more perplexing figures. Two that come to mind are The Social Network, the Oscar-winning dramatisation of the origins of Facebook that helped us to realise that Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera were not actually the same person, and Moneyball, the Oscar-nominated translation of advanced baseball statistics and a hairy Brad Pitt to a mainstream audience.

The common link of these movies? Acclaimed screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. His latest twirl of the pen, Steve Jobs, is about to hit UK screens, however those looking for another film of that ilk may be sorely disappointed. Directed by Danny Boyle, Steve Jobs claims to be based upon Walter Isaacson’s 2011 authorised biography of the late Apple co-founder, though is not afraid to abandon all pretence of historical accuracy bar the presentation itself. Continue reading “Film review: Steve Jobs”

Single review: Miike Snow – ‘Heart Is Full’

A ’60s sample sets up a refreshing teaser of the bizarre trio’s third LP.

Originally published in The Edge

Miike Snow may bear the least autocorrect-friendly band name this side of the Åland Islands, but the trio certainly knows how to make a catchy song. Between Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg, and Andrew Wyatt you’ll find the duo behind Britney Spears‘ ‘Toxic,’ a singer/songwriter who composed a ballet with Mark Ronson, and one half of Galantis. ‘Heart Is Full’ is their first release together in three years, and signifies a marked change in direction from their indie pop heritage. Continue reading “Single review: Miike Snow – ‘Heart Is Full’”

Album review: Pentatonix – Pentatonix

Pentatonix’s self-titled quest to legitimise acapella music in a charting context brings us one of the year’s most enjoyable and varied pop records.

Originally published in The Edge

If I had a pound for every time I’d seen a link to Pentatonix’s self-titled debut album on social media over the last week, dealing with student loans would be a thing of the past. Their onslaught of promotion may appear desperate, though it is perhaps more appropriately understood as a battle to legitimise acapella music in a post-Pitch Perfect world. Continue reading “Album review: Pentatonix – Pentatonix”

Single review: Redlight feat. Melisa Whiskey – ‘Threshold’

A dark and restrained cut from Bristol’s finest serves as a promising hint for his upcoming debut LP.

Originally published in The Edge

Opening with a twelve-piece orchestra building a foundation reminiscent of Ian Brown‘s ‘F.E.A.R.,’ ‘Threshold’ lacks the typical elasticity of Redlight‘s work, though not the listenability.

Compared to previous singles ‘Gold Teeth’ and ‘Lion Jungle’, the radio-friendly sensibilities are explicit. Vocalist Melisa Whiskey leads us through a tale of a relationship that’s falling apart packed with clichés (the finest – “we just keep treading on these fault lines” – appears in the pre-chorus), whilst superb production and subtle instrumentation keeps the listener clinging on. Even the backing fading to near nought cannot hinder it, as Whiskey soars before an emphatic climax that disappoints only in its curtailed duration. Continue reading “Single review: Redlight feat. Melisa Whiskey – ‘Threshold’”

Single review: Diplo & Sleepy Tom – ‘Be Right There’

An expert combination of ’90s R&B and future house tendencies provides the perfect antidote to the impending winter blues.

Originally published in The Edge

Is Diplo human? It’s hard to tell. 2015 has already seen him produce half a Madonna album, release two collaborative records of his own (under the Major Lazer and Jack Ü monikers) which saw singles running charts worldwide, remix Tiësto and Rihanna, launch a second radio show, and release another track with MØ. His finest four minutes, though? ‘Be Right There,’ a reconstruction of Jade‘s 1992 single ‘Don’t Walk Away‘ alongside Canadian upcomer and fellow workaholic Sleepy Tom. Continue reading “Single review: Diplo & Sleepy Tom – ‘Be Right There’”