Tag: Review

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’”

Single review: Bloc Party – ‘The Love Within’

Bloc Party 2.0 slinks to the fore with a delightful display of technique and imagery.

Originally published in The Edge

The Bloc Party of 2015 is not the Bloc Party you know and love, or even the Bloc Party of Four. Since their latest hiatus began in 2013, half the band – drummer Matt Tong and bassist/backing vocalist/glockenspiel player/album art designer Gordon Moakes – have split away after being together through much of this millennium. Early 2016 will bring new album Hymns, with added Louise Bartle and Justin Harris, and ‘The Love Within’ is our first chance to gauge the transition. Continue reading “Single review: Bloc Party – ‘The Love Within’”

Album review: Avicii – Stories

Avicii falls with a case of second album syndrome that may have improved instrument choices but ultimately holds the record back from delivering upon its potential.

Originally published in The Edge

Whereas Avicii’s 2013 debut album True favoured banjos in a flamboyant display of its bluegrass and country influences, his new release Stories incorporates a far wider gamut of styles. The result, however, is not dissimilar, as the variation within tracks and perplexing curation produces an incoherent yet steady album experience.

On occasions where Tim Bergling introduces uncultivated ground with Stories – and there are indeed many – contrasting styles don’t quite meld sufficiently. The trap breakdown of ‘Pure Grinding’ after bluesy mumblings on work ethic – “started out with nothing and still got most of it left” – does nothing to inspire, and its companion promotional single ‘For A Better Day’ meanders along with only a tambourine and staccato piano beneath Alex Ebert’s strained soul. The honour of the most startling track falls to ‘Can’t Catch Me,’ a nostalgic reggae duet between Wyclef Jean and Matisyahu. Continue reading “Album review: Avicii – Stories”

Album review: Skrillex & Diplo Present Jack Ü

Originally published in The Broadie

My first encounter with Jack Ü, the pseudo-supergroup of professional noise-merchants Sonny Moore and Wesley Pentz, better known as Skrillex and Diplo, came on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Miami last March. At the Ultra Music Festival, the commercial centrepiece of the annual Winter Music Conference that draws the great and the good and the brostep to Floridian shores, the pair took to the stage for the most anticipated set of the weekend.

Within a minute, Diplo had clambered onto the desk and was commanding his sun-soaked congregation, mostly scantily clad college students squandering their spring break by flailing limbs in a sardine-like crush, to scream and clap and all sorts of things that would make the music harder to hear. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m of the opinion that a good DJ should neither be seen nor heard. Their job is to play pre-recorded music in a fluid and appreciable fashion, but Jack Ü took their babysitting duties very seriously and audibly.

And yet, Moore and Pentz moulded their hour on the main stage into the most thoroughly entertaining show of the weekend. Rapidly devouring Skrillex’s new album, Diplo’s dancehall-inspired Major Lazer discography, the talent of their respective labels OWSLA and Mad Decent, and even Toto’s ‘Africa’, the frantic set clicked perfectly. In parts, so does their collaborative album. Continue reading “Album review: Skrillex & Diplo Present Jack Ü”

Album review: Knife Party – Abandon Ship

Originally published in The Broadie

Although my sarcastic and weary demeanour may tend to convey otherwise, I don’t try to intentionally dismember what I review. Perhaps I may sit down at my desk and brace myself for an onslaught of mediocrity, an instinct that usually serves well through the likes of Miley Cyrus’ magnum opus Bangerz. Knife Party triggers this radar like a machete at airport security, but each time I take a listen to their noises I find myself pleasantly surprised about how much I don’t despise them. The music is typically just as humane as the name suggests, with stabbing synths and heavy percussion, but Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, the Australian duo who formed from the remnants of drum and bass ensemble Pendulum, have a perplexing knack of making it sound vaguely tolerable.

After a plethora of delays, debut album Abandon Ship has finally found the light of day, but alas, it’s immediately obvious that the pair shouldn’t have tried to spread out their inspiration, if you could so generously assign it that term, to a longer body of work than a four-track EP. Though the duo were keen to avoid having dubstep on the record, they’ve not strayed too far from their traditional ‘electro house’ stylings. Any exploration into new territories feels strained and disingenuous – almost as if their major label contract has shoehorned them into boxes more befitting of spoons and cake forks. Continue reading “Album review: Knife Party – Abandon Ship”

Album review: Skrillex – Recess

Originally published in The Broadie

Since his breakout with 2010’s boisterous Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites, Los Angeles native Skrillex has become the poster boy of the EDM revolution. With copious brostep, a dubstep-based sound that Spin labelled as “lurching and aggressive” in a polite way of saying it sounds like a live cat going through a meat grinder, and a haircut to match, Sonny Moore has polarised and alienated, but created a whole new mainstream electronic scene, especially in the US. His first full length album, Recess, of course stays true to the genre that made him a superstar, while also half-heartedly dangling a toe near every pond. Continue reading “Album review: Skrillex – Recess”

Album review: Pharrell Williams – G I R L

Originally published in The Broadie

Some things about Pharrell Williams are pretty unbelievable. He’s been around seemingly forever and recently hit his 40th birthday, yet he could still pass for being in his early 20s with ease. His collaborations with Daft Punk last year made me realise that he could actually sing. And now, 8 years after his rap-filled solo debut In My Mind, he’s back with an effort to win over all the ladies of the world, bringing plenty of falsetto with him. Continue reading “Album review: Pharrell Williams – G I R L”