These New Puritans - Field of Reeds: Album Review



These New Puritans have been high on the interest list of many blogs, critics and listeners alike. Their previous two albums have been strikingly different from one another in styles and direction, so it shouldn't be any big surprise that their third album, Field of Reeds, is in large contrast to it's predecessors.

What makes it so strikingly different from the first two albums is the amount of planning and organisation that went into this album.

Even before the band had amassed together in order to create this album, lead vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and key songwriter Jack Barnett had arranged every part of the album.

This obviously shows throughout the album as it's much more structured and almost orchestral throughout, yet a new ambient element has been introduced to These New Puritans style.

Not nearly as aggressive as 2010s Hidden, and yet it's not passive or wimpy by any regards.

It stands strong on its own feet.

Nine songs long (with tracks spanning around 6 minutes), it can feel as if there isn't much to grasp. But it's important to remember that these songs take time to listen to.  A single, solitary listen cannot encompass what is needed in order to digest these sound.

Field of Reeds is not a light listen. It's to be taken and dwelled upon, allowing for the tracks to sink in and that in itself is rewarding enough for those who want to experience it.

8/10

- Kaity Shirley


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Sigur Ros – Kveikur: Album Review


2013 has been a productive year for Sigur Ros. The legendary Icelandic post-rock trio have toured extensively for 2012's Valtari and now have released Kveikur. It's an album of firsts for Sigur Ros. It is their first album released with XL Recordings, and their first album to release after the departure of Kjartan Sveinsson, their keyboardist.

For a band known for their surreal, etheral sound, Kveikur can be seen as more of an evolution from their previous efforts. Unlike older albums Takk and Inni, this Kveikur takes its listeners on a much darker and aggressive journey.

The very first song, Brennisteinn (officially released three days earlier before Kveikur's unveiling on March 22) casts a darker shroud of sound, setting the mood for the album. The complete contrast to the calming vocals of frontman and multi-instrumentalist Jón Þór Birgisson (or Jonsi).

Even the translations of the song titles are harsher than past songs. Fans and critics are accustomed to tracks with titles such as Sæglópur ( English: 'Lost at Sea' ) and Takk ('Thank You'). Now, songs are titled Hrafntinna ('Obsidian') and Rafstraumur ('Electric Current').

Kveikur boasts strong baselines throughout the album, creating a dark and deep atmosphere. This is definately a new direction for Sigur Ros, and allows their fans and critics alike to perceive the band in a much different light. Whilst this album mixes in new elements, such as harsh sounds and strong drums, it also keeps the aspects of classic Sigur Ros such as Jonsi's melodic voice singing in Vonlenska ( or Hopelandic ) and strong crescendos to the songs. Kveikur is an interesting addition to their already extensive history.

8/10

- Kaity Shirley


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Surfer Blood – Pythons: Album Review


In the wake of an arrest (from frontman John Paul Pitts), Surfer Blood has risen out of ashes of past legal turbulence and dived straight back into the flames with their second album, Pythons. Although with their daze laden rock-pop has critics comparing them left right and centre to every other surf rock band, Pythons promises a steadier, much more driven side to the band.

It jump starts with the heady grunge of Demon Dance. The simplicity of it is strangely not as ridged as you'd expect it to be. Of course, with many bands of this genre, there's always the self-deprecating lyrics. They're like a common string that tie the whole bunch together. I Was Wrong (obviously titled) is the perfect example of this yearning hopelessness that looms in Pythons. What's interesting, however, is how different Pitts vocals are to that of his contemporaries. His vocals are perhaps much sweeter and albeit much easier on the ears than that of artist such as FIDLAR and Wavves. An odd pairing of much more delicate sounding vocals against a auditory backdrop of Weezer influenced guitars and heavy drums.

It's obvious that on Pythons the band has grown and become much steadier and stricter with their recording technique. They sound tighter and more practiced than on their previous effort, Astro Coast. It may seem like a bit of paradox for a band such as Surfer Blood; the whole garage-y, surfer rock-pop but it's over all makes for a better listening experience. Less tangents are created and the band feel more focused than ever before. With this type of attitude, we can only hope that the third album will be just as great.
It's melodic, sugar-coated hopeless surfer pop that has arrived just in time for summer.  

7.5/10

- Kaity Shirley


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Suede - Bloodsport: Album Review

The newly-productive Suede are back with the new album, gruesomely titled Bloodsports. What can be believed as the product of the bands reunion tour back in 2010, it's a stunning come back and you can bet it's a million times better than a certain album that we dare not speak of (Ahem, A New Morning, ahem). It is ten songs long, just the right amount to capture and retain attention...even if there are couple of odd songs the album. Overall, it's an excellent example of a comeback album. You can really hear them revisiting their Britpop sound in Bloodsports, a tried, true and tested formulae if there ever was one.

Lyrically, frontman Brett Anderson if his poetic, honest self. His knack for gluing his desperate yelping vocals with these ''open book'' lyrics is devastatingly gorgeous.  Musically, Bloodsport is truly re-visitng of their earlier albums and it sounds good. It's what the band knows and while there are a few off tracks towards the end that distract from the momentum of the album, overall it's pleasing to see Suede back in their comfort zone without really fully being there.

Hit Me is an immediate winner on the album. The most interesting son, it's also catchy and listenable from beginning to end.  It feels like it could have made itself at home in the time of Suedes heyday. It's sleazy and sultry; unbecoming but totally attractive at the same time.

Eleven years is a long time and in that wait, it's obviously allowed the band to digest, digress and create something worth listening to again.

8/10

- Kaity Shirley


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Capital Cities – Tidal Waves of Mystery: Review

Ah Craigslist. The weird, the strange and the odd in terms of requests all seem to just congeal there, like a stick mess of unidentified matter that you probably don’t want to know what it really is.
But, good things come from it occasionally. And when they're ''good'', they're great.

Take Capital Cities for example; they're an electro-pop duo made up of two jingle writers meeting on Craigslist.

And they just so happen to make great tunes (and why wouldn't they, they're jingle writers by trade!).

Moving on, they've just released their debut album named In A Tidal Wave of Mystery. It's filled with power-electro-space-pop and oh, look! An Andre3000 collaboration thrown in there like a cherry on top (on the track Farrah Fawcett Hair).

Many of the songs feel like 80's power pop that have been set into space. The old electro house feel of Kangaroo Court recalls earlier Daft Punk Homework era work, while the spacey Patience Gets Us Nowhere feels frantic and poppy.

Many of the tracks are either from previous releases in the forms of EPs or live shows that have been reworked and premastered to every minute of their life and given a gleaming clean finish.
The only downfall of Capital Cities is that many of their tracks feel too catchy. Like, they're simply too infectious. If this is bad or not, I'm not too sure but I found myself humming Centre Stage for hours on end with no reprieve.

So there you have it, not everything that comes from Craigslist is bad and even two jingle writers can make something worthwhile listening too that doesn't make you feel bad for singing along to in order to passively promote some banal cleaning product or tire company.

7/10

- Kaity Shirley


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