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Music, Film, and Gaming

Rich

The Medullary Paralysis – We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel Compassion

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The Medullary Paralysis - We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel CompassionReading that first track ‘Compassion on the Dance Floor’ was nominated in 2008 for Best International Alternative Song at the Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards, and that second track ‘Fashion Slave’ was a Semi-Finalist in the Rock/Indie category at the UK Songwriting Contest 2008, I therefore had high hopes for this three track offering from Italian three-piece The Medullary Paralysis, listening to these three tracks however has left me feeling seriously underwhelmed.

‘We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel Compassion’ promised so much on paper, and the band’s website even tells me that “You have an out-of-body experience when we mix The Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson. And Tears for Fears too. Indie industrial glam on the dance floor.” The EP, despite its promise, is really quite disappointing however, and I just have to say that I really don’t get it. Perhaps it’s a case that this band is just a little bit too different for my liking, I’m not really sure, what I am sure of however is that this record just fails to really impress me. There’s some reasonable industrial edge, although there are some positives to be taken when listening to each individual component of the music separately however, the tracks taken as a whole just don’t really work for me.

There are obviously people out there that are rather fond of The Medullary Paralysis, and hence the awards nominations that the tracks have received; I’m not one of those people though, and this is not a band that I have any interest in hearing again in the future.

Label: Bandcamp
Release Date: November 16th 2009

Rating:
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Full Scream Ahead – We Write Our Own Anthems

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Full Scream Ahead - We Write Our Own AnthemsFull Scream Ahead is a four-piece pop rock band from Bristol, and with the ‘We Write Our Own Anthems’ EP the band is looking to impress the masses with its anthems.

The ‘We Write Our Own Anthems’ EP gets off to an absolutely incredible start with ‘To Be You’, and straight away the most striking quality of the music is the vocals. Lead vocalist Justin Percival has a very distinctive voice, and this is therefore something that instantly grabs you about the music. Such emotion can here be heard coming through in Justin’s vocals, with every word sung sounding like it’s absolutely 100% meant.

Throughout the EP there is some pretty powerful drum work, with guitar hooks aplenty that are sure to put a smile on the face. Full Scream Ahead isn’t exactly the most appropriate band name in the world, the actual title of the EP does seem to ring true however as the band sets about pulling off an EP of absolute anthems.

All six tracks on the ‘We Write Our Own Anthems’ EP have choruses to be proud of; Full Scream Ahead only actually formed in 2008, already this is a band that is showing great signs of potential however, and Full Scream Ahead is most definitely a band to watch out for in the future.

Label: Sugarshack Records
Release Date: September 21st 2009

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Jay-Z Alexandra Palace Show Sells Out in 15 Seconds

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Jay-Z broke his own record today as tickets sold out in just 15 seconds for his Alexandra Palace show on November 4th. Jay-Z last month left people stunned as his London Roundhouse show sold out in 20 seconds, he’s only gone and done it again just several weeks later though, and has now set an even more impressive record.

Jay-Z’s latest studio album ‘The Blueprint 3’ has already racked up worldwide sales in excess of one million since its release on September 8th 2009, and his current UK popularity is demonstrated in the fact that three of his singles presently sit within the Official UK Top 40, two of which are in the top six (‘Empire State of Mind’ feat. Alicia Keys is Number 2, ‘Run This Town’ feat. Rihanna and Kanye West is Number 6, and ‘Young Forever’ featuring Mr. Hudson right now sits at Number 40).

Canadian Singer Rhea Joins N.E.R.D

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Canadian singer Rhea has officially joined N.E.R.D for work on the next studio album, and will also feature in the band’s future live shows.

Pharrell Williams has boasted that Rhea’s voice will add a whole new level to the music, stating that with Rea onboard “Musically, we’re just somewhere else. The music is now very 3D. It’s something you have to hear. But you’ll see.”

Pharrell went on to say that “The music is very three-dimensional. We’re just really excited. We feel like N.E.R.D has always been the punks of hip-hop and the outcasts of alternative music – just a little different. But this time, we’re taking no prisoners.”

N.E.R.D will release fourth studio album ‘Instant Gratification’ in 2010, and Rhea is to be an integral part of the band’s future sound.

The Upgrades – Take A Risk

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The Upgrades - Take A RiskInfluenced by the music of such bands as RX Bandits, Mad Caddies, and Rancid; The Upgrades is an incredibly talented five-piece ska punk band from Dublin. ‘Take A Risk’ is a supremely chilled out album effort from The Upgrades, with the band here showing a fantastic ability to combine powerful pop choruses with a laid back reggae/ska instrumental approach. The album has been fantastically well produced, with all elements of the music always here coming through incredibly cleanly.

Kicking off with intro track ‘The Thing Is’, the ‘Take A Risk’ album soon gets properly moving with ‘Rock’n’Fuck’n’Roll’, and never here does the album cease to impress as the band launches its way through the album. Of course there are some tracks here that are more successful than others, ‘Rock’n’Fuck’n’Roll’ being one of them, ‘Angel of Horror’, ‘Somethin, I Dunno…’, and closing track ‘This Is Us’ being several others. On the whole the band takes quite a soft approach to music here which works quite well, it is arguably the slightly harder hitting tracks that work out a little better however, with the band showcasing a little extra edge in these instances. The lead vocalist of The Upgrades has a great voice, and whatever style he chooses to sing it works well, with the tracks that I’ve picked out here his voice just seems to have a little extra spark however, and that is what separates these four tracks from the pack.

The Upgrades is a band that has been around for a number of years now, and in this time the band has played a number of high profile shows with such ska icons as The Beat and Neville Staple, as well as shows with a number of commercially successful rock/punk bands including Taking Back Sunday, Senses Fail, and Underoath. The band has a vast amount of experience, and this is something that most certainly shines through on the ‘Take A Risk’ album. The Upgrades is a band that plays its sound with a great deal of precision and confidence, and always this is a very good thing to find.

With the band having already achieved some degree of success, this is something that is sure to continue in the future as The Upgrades continues to grow in strength and stature as a band. The Upgrades is a band with the potential to go far; ska punk may not be as popular now as it was five or six years ago, even still, strong talent such as this is still sure to be spotted, and the fact that the band has enjoyed the success it has done suggests that people are well prepared to give this band a chance and give the music a listen.

For fans of ska punk the music of The Upgrades is highly recommended, and with the album available to listen to right now in its entirety over at Spotify, there really is no reason whatsoever not to give the ‘Take A Risk’ album at least one listen.

Label: SYWP Records
Release Date: May 4th 2009

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Enter Shikari UK Tour – October 2009

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Enter Shikari Logo
Enter Shikari will be hitting the road in October, and the band will be performing at a number of different venues throughout the UK. Starting in Norwich on October 5th, the tour will continue right up until October 22nd when the tour will finish in Liverpool.

Here is a full list of the tour dates that Enter Shikari is all set to play in October:

OCTOBER
MON 5 – NORWICH – UEA
TUE 6 – SOUTHAMPTON – Guildhall
WED 7 – BRISTOL – Academy
THU 8 – PLYMOUTH – Pavillions
SAT 10 – LONDON – Roundhouse
SUN 11 – OXFORD – Academy
MON 12 – MANCHESTER – Academy
TUE 13 – BIRMINGHAM – Academy
THU 15 – SHEFFIELD – Academy
FRI 16 – DUNDEE – Fat Sams
SAT 17 – GLASGOW – ABC
SUN 18 – ABERDEEN – Music Hall
TUE 20 – NEWCASTLE – Academy
WED 21 – NOTTINGHAM – Rock City
THU 22 – LIVERPOOL – Academy

Jordin Sparks – S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)

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Jordin Sparks - S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)Sampling Shannon’s 1983 hit ‘Let the Music Play’, ‘S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)’ is the latest single from sixth season American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. The single sees Jordin Sparks take on a dance-pop approach, and she does a very good job of it too.

‘S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)’ is a very fun single, with Jordin Sparks here showing great depth as a recording artist. It’s always interesting to see artist’s looking down alternative musical avenues, and very exciting to hear when they pull it off, as is the case here with Jordin Sparks.

‘S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)’ is not the best dance-pop track ever written, it is a very well put together pop song however, and a single that is sure to go down well with many.

Label: Jive
Release Date: October 12th 2009

Rating:
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The Upgrades ‘Take A Risk’ Album Now on Sale

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The Upgrades

The Upgrades ‘Take A Risk’ album has recently gone on sale, and is available now from online retailers such as iTunes, Napster, and Amazon. If you’re a user of Spotify then you can also give the album a listen on there, and it’s most definitely well worth giving the album a spin.

The ‘Take A Risk’ album consists of a total of twelve tracks, and has a very chilled out ska vibe that is sure to go down well with many.

Track five, ‘Nothing’, is available for free download right now, and you can find The Upgrades ‘Nothing’ MP3 here. Also be sure to keep checking back at The Upgrades Official MySpace page for the latest news and updates from the band.