Archives for May 20, 2005

The Aquabats! – Charge!!

May 20, 2005 by Rich Leave a Comment

When I saw that the band had donned exclamation marks on the end of their band name, CD title, and every single track – I thought that this album may consist of some forced ‘wacky’ antics by the band. Luckily I was wrong and once again The Aquabats have come up trumps in producing a CD if true greatness. Some say that they don’t like this CD because it sees the band drop their horns and in doing so drop the ‘Ska.’ The thing is, The Aquabats never really have been a Ska band – they are just a fun band singing about issues such as being a nerd. ‘Nerd Alert’ is testament to this and is a cracking track that will put a huge smile on your face as soon as it begins to play.

There are many great tracks on display on this album such as the tremendous ‘Fashion Zombies!’ the incredible ‘Stuck in a Movie!’ and other such classics as ‘Hot Summer Nights (Wont Last Forever) and ‘Awesome Forces.’ Although the horns are now long gone, the band have replaced them with some awesome synthesizers and as a result their sound does not lose out at all from them losing the horns. On display on this album are some fine bass lines, awesomely tuned guitar riffs, some superb drum work, and as ever the obligatory amazing vocals with even better lyrics. A fine example of the bands greatly amusing lyrics can be seen in track ‘Look At Me, I’m A Winner!’ If you are a fan of the band then its tracks such as this and ‘Fashion Zombies!’ that you will want to be checking out as they are definite Aquabats classics that will be remembered for some years to come.

I have always been a great fan of this band and this album merely furthers my love of the band. After listening to this incredible album my fandom of the band does not at all diminish, with the album leaving me with a huge grin on my face. The use of synthesizer on this album gives the band a really retro Nintendo style feel and this is by no means a bad thing. This is a fun and upbeat album and will surely be the soundtrack of the summer with its fast, exciting tempo and general happy, summery feel. This album has a gloss of furious upbeat fun, and although it’s not going to be to everyone’s taste – those it does appeal to should be truly amazed by this brand new Aquabats album.

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Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

No Comply – Unleash The Fury

May 20, 2005 by Rich Leave a Comment

If you are a fan of the band then you really need to invest in this DVD. The live material is only really the quality of bootleg, but when a band is on a tight budget it’s hard to get good quality recordings. The live material is watchable, however it just doesn’t capture the energy that can be felt at a No Comply gig and really doesn’t do the band justice on their amazing live performance.

I think that No Comply have done a pretty good job with this DVD – including amusing behind the scenes footage from their tour, with the No Comply gang hanging out having a laugh with a number of other bands. If you look closely, members of bands such as The Mercury League can be spotted hanging out amongst the ranks. There are frequent amusing interviews with band members on this DVD and they are really what make the DVD worth having for fans of the band. When you consider what you get on this DVD, it can be seen that it really is a fine investment and is a good solid piece of entertainment. The live material could of course be better, but bonuses such as interviews with band members, the bands promotional video’s that have been shown on TV channels such as Scuzz, studio clips, and behind the scenes footage really make up for this and make way for an interesting and exciting DVD.

If you are a fan of this band then the chances are you will know about their energetic and electric live show. Do the band a favour and help fill their pockets by getting yourself a copy of this DVD – it is well worth your hard earned cash and is a must have for any avid No Comply fan. It seems that any band who’s anyone has a DVD now, so the fact that one of the UK’s finest rising artists has one really is rather fitting.

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Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Leon – Be There

May 20, 2005 by Rich Leave a Comment

Leon have started up their own label to release their music – Freezer Records, and are soon set to self release an album called ‘Uppers and Downers.’ The first single to be taken from this album is the quirky little number ‘Be There.’

I tried to be interested in this song, but I just couldn’t get in to it. There’s nothing particularly bad about it, in fact it’s well produced, intelligently crafted and sublimely executed, however I just can’t find myself getting into it because there’s nothing that really grabs me about the track. It is melodic, and I can see that there may be a large audience out there for this kind of track, but it’s just not edgy enough for me.

Leon’s ‘Be There’ would make excellent background music for any occasion – you can just sit back, relax, and forget that any music at all is playing. I just can’t see myself listening to this track for any other purposes as it just doesn’t capture me in a way that I like my songs to. Like I have already stated, I don’t dislike this track, or in fact the B-side ‘Prozac Generation’ – it’s just a bit too melodic and safe for me. There’s no denying Leon Black’s song writing ability and I just hope people recognise this and help make ‘Uppers and Downers’ a success.

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Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Hellogoodbye – Hellogoodbye EP

May 20, 2005 by Rich Leave a Comment

Hellogoodbye are actually an amazing band – I wasn’t sure whether they were going to be up to much, having read a variety of reviews and finding a fairly mixed reaction to this EP. Hellogoodbye are a band that heavily emphasise the keyboards in there music. This is great as it makes them sound like a cross between 80s synth pop and modern day Pop Punk/Emo. This is a genius mix and in doing this, the band have produced an EP that oozes fun and energy, with a truly exciting feel to it.

Hellogoodbye are unashamedly cheesy and are a band that is showing clear signs of living for the moment and having fun while they can. This EP consists of 6 of the greatest songs that I have heard for a long time and the band really do impress with this debut EP. It pushes all the right buttons and I can assure you – if you played this at a party, everyone would be up and dancing, it really is that amazingly fun and effortlessly catchy. There is never a dull moment on this EP, with tracks especially pleasing me being the amazing opener ‘Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn,’ and EP closer ‘Bonnie Taylor Shakedown…2K4’ The band starts on a high, so I guess they felt they had to end on a high as well. ‘Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn’ is definitely one of the greatest songs that I have heard for a long time now. It is amazingly catchy, and superbly written with awesome guitar work, some demon drum beats, and truly astounding bass lines. The vocals are spot on and really do finish the track off nicely, creating an exciting, energetic and entertaining pop classic.

This band really do have a fine talent for penning a good tune, and that is clearly evident on this EP where they have created 6 tracks of pure brilliance. If you have not yet heard this band then I suggest you go out there and listen to them – they may well become one of your new favourite bands. It certainly worked for me, after hearing this EP I was hooked on this band and will definitely be looking out for them in the future. Such a fun, energetic and exciting band is always worth a listen – this CD is likely to be in my changer for some time to come.

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Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.