Robyn Writes

Review: Luke Leighfield – V

Ten years after he started and with his fifth studio album, Luke Leighfield is back in business. It hasn’t all been smooth-sailing, but with the fan-funded album V, Leighfield returns packing a pop-rock punch. Just three years ago, in mid-2012, it looked as though Leighfield’s musical dream was over. Sure, he’d had a good run, playing hundreds of shows across the globe, but four albums on he had become tired of music – or tired of touring – and found himself a day job instead (albeit one in the lights and sounds of Berlin). Luckily for his loyal fan-base, this wasn’t the end.

That loyal fan-base rallied around Leighfield and pledged £13,000 on Kickstarter towards the production of a new album. With their financial backing, it was off Ohio to record V with none-other than much-admired producer Jim Wirt (Jack’s Mannequin, Incubus). After falling in and out of love, as much as in his personal life as with music itself, Leighfield has used his wealth of experience to create 12 anthemic pop-rock tunes custom made for summer – almost making it ironic that he’s British.

As soon as the snare hits introducing album opener ‘Begin Again’ reaches your ears, the production quality sounds crisp and clear, the perfect delivery method for Leighfield’s brand of pop-rock. As a song it is simple but effective, there isn’t too much going on but what you can hear starts to get stuck inside your head. ‘Fading Fast’ does anything but fade, carrying on from where the opener left off with another perfectly package piece of pop. The range of instrumentals is a big bonus, as Leighfield doesn’t follow some solo acts in depending far too much on their preferred instrument and their vocals. ‘Fading Fast’ doesn’t cling to acoustic guitars, but pushes beyond with the introduction of keys and even a catchy electric guitar solo. The song structure is still simple, but the melodies are catchy, it is exactly what pop-rock is all about.

‘Fool for Love’, the lead single from V, sums up Leighfield’s sound perfectly. It brings with it a subtle backing of keys and sweeping melodies from an electric guitar, the perfect stage for vocals to come out front and centre. As well as the insatiable melodies, there also seems to be an emo-tinge to some parts of the album, particularly evident on ‘Oh, Canada’; a simple song of heartbreak (which, it should be added, features a horn section and somehow still comes off sounding sincere – bravo!)

I was worried that the album would drift away into a mire of pop sameness, but final and aptly-named track ‘Something Different’ leaves a lasting impression with a little more rock introduced to the pop. The sighs, regrets and heart-felt longing that can be found in other parts of the album are banished. I can only think that this must be the song that came into Leighfield’s head as he started to wonder whether he had left all of the music behind him, pondering life from an office in Berlin. The songs depth seems to come from ridding one’s self of the worries of the past and moving on, to something bigger and better. “I know that I was made for something different”, sings Leighfield, perhaps reflecting on all of that time sat behind a computer instead of sitting behind a piano in a recording studio.

Granted, V is nothing new. Leighfield’s pop-rock isn’t unique – I couldn’t help but hear elements of later Dashboard Confessional, and perhaps even a sprinkling of Hellogoodbye’s pop-monster for good measure – but it is really well done. There is simple songwriting, catchy melodies aplenty, and the expert production you would expect from Jim Wirt. If you like your pop with a large helping of rock, or you like your rock infected to the core with catchy pop melodies, V is for you.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Boxkite – s/t [7″]

Plymouth punk upstarts Boxkite formed in 2013 to play sad hardcore, apparently. This first release showcases this young band’s first forays into the recording studio, with mixed results.

Opening with ‘Struggles’, Boxkite put forward their sonic manifesto in 70 concise seconds, beginning calmly with sinister and brooding picked guitar chords before going blast-beat crazy for probably only about 15 seconds before settling into a grinding, sludgy Melvins riff. As an intro it works really well – it’s reminiscent of Mike Patton’s Fantomas project and is similarly entertaining.

This transitions seamlessly into ‘Cycles’, the collection’s first proper song. It opens with a high-paced bass riff and some incredible chops being displayed on the drums but unfortunately, there aren’t any real hooks to speak of. The next song, ‘Red Skies’, is more or less identical and both tunes descend into a feedback-laden sludgy breakdown towards the end. There isn’t a great deal that sets these two songs apart.

The next couple of tracks have a combined run time of less than two minutes and where it’s fine to have a short song, these tunes don’t feel like they get a chance to develop – ‘Groom Lake’ in particular feels like it could have been something special if only they’d given it legs.

Over all, there are some really great moments on show from this young band here. It feels like they would be a hell of a spectacle to witness live with extra special props going to the absolute octopus of a drummer they have behind the kit. On record, they’re not quite there yet but you feel like it’s only a matter of time.

2.5 out of 5 high fives!

Notes from the Keybed – March 2015

Post-rock electronica duo Worriedaboutsatan return with Even Temper, their first album in six years. That’s not to say that Thomas Ragsdale and Gavin Miller have been taking it easy in said downtime, having released some truly stunning music from the atmospheric techno of Ghosting Season to their own solo projects and film soundtracks. Regardless of which name they are recording under, my favourite thing about the Leeds duo has always been their seamless mix of cold electronica and heartfelt songwriting, with the lo-fi samples, vocals and guitars adding a layer of ‘realness’ that is so often missing from purely electronic music. Their live approach to writing through jamming is evident in the evolving song structures and extended workouts, with many songs breaking the five minute mark yet never outstaying their welcome. Highlights include the vocal-based ‘MV Joyita’ featuring the voice of Morgan Visconti and the seven and a half minute emotional outpouring of ‘Sleep of the Foolish’. Find someone who claims not to like electronic music and play them this record to undoubtedly change their mind.

On a completely different note comes the new record from Hot Nerds who feature Some Girls’ guitar mangler Nathan Joyner, joined by synth tweaker Alia Jyawook and drummer Thomas O’Connell. With an album called Strategically Placed Bananas, adorned with cover art featuring said article of fruit protecting the modesty of a reclining cartoon mullet man, you know what you’re getting before you even press play! Fortunately the musical content doesn’t disappoint, consisting of discordant synth punk along the lines of the much-missed Test Icicles or label boss Justin Pearson’s electronic grindcore pioneers The Locust. Unapologetically weird and noisy, with many songs lasting just a minute or two it is equally wonderful and bizarre anti-pop. My personal fave on the record is the fantastically-monikered ‘Stuffed Party Animals’, which features scatty clipped drum beats, whiny vocal chants and a classic hoover synth sound.

German party boys Eskimo Callboy return with their third album of generic but enjoyable electronicore mixed with autotuned pop choruses, trappy synth leads and a good dosage of nu-metal! At its best, Crystals comes across like the Linkin Park glory days mixed with the pop hook of Issues (without the majestic vocals of Tyler C). It will no doubt polarise listeners and certainly won’t win the German band any new fans, but it’s good (in)offensive fun that’ll soundtrack a fair few throwdowns and catchy singalongs for those so inclined. The twin vocal attack works well in the classic sing/scream metalcore template and the guitars are suitably tight and chuggy mixed with some danceable beats and glitchy electro noises in the same vein as Palisades and Attack Attack!. Plus ‘2 Fat 2 Furious’ is an absolute banger about not wanting to ‘live without burgers and fries’… ‘nuff said.

On the opposite side of the audio spectrum comes the new record from alt-poppers the Go! Team. Ridiculously jubilant and stuffed with samples, singles ‘What D’You Say?’ and title track ‘The Scene Between’ tread a similar sonic path to The Flaming Lips, with experimental indie pop being the order of the day. Delightful harmonies and guitar strummed major chords take precedence over the six piece’s hip-hop infused earlier material but it is all pleasant stuff and an early contender for your summer soundtrack.

Unless you’ve been living in social isolation away from all radio, online and print media (in which case you probably won’t have the wifi connection to read this, but that’s a moot point) you can’t have missed the announcement of a new Prodigy album to hit stores at the end of this month! Back to regain the dance-rock crossover crown from the likes of Pendulum and Shikari, Liam Howlett and co launched their latest attack on the airwaves with ‘Nasty’, a suitably-titled drum & bass banger with growling synths, belligerent vocals and a typically dark guitar riff. The rest of the pre-release singles from ‘The Day Is My Enemy’ have followed suit with the Sleathford Mods collaboration ‘Ibiza’ ripping apart lad culture and ‘Rhythm Bomb’ delivering an instantly catchy floor-filler alongside the talents of dubstep don Flux Pavilion. Twenty-five years on from the birth of the rave scene, the Prodigy remain at the top of the pile, shitting on those who have attempted to steal their crown in gloriously literal fashion.

Finally, this months’s Keytar Hero award is a collective one going to Shiny Toy Guns, who boast not just one keytarist but two in the form of frontwoman Carah Charnow and synth player Jeremy Dawson. The lucky buggers have been boasting two shiny non-toy Roland AX-synths of late, which is just greedy and they really should donate one to me. Once the envy subsides you’d do well to revisit 2006 electroclash anthem ‘Le Disko’ to see why they justify such lavish playthings.

Review: Personal Best – Arnos Vale

The sun’s coming out, everyone’s feeling less gloomy and summer seems like it’s just around the corner. Sounds like the perfect time for a new Personal Best record to come out, yeah? Well, you’re in luck – Arnos Vale is out this week and it’s absolutely cracking.

Of course, that’s to be expected with the melody-wrangling superteam that is Katie, Tom and (at the time of recording) Lou, who have an impressive back catalogue of hits from their time in Bedford Falls, Attack Vipers and Caves respectively. It starts out strong with ‘If You Meet Someone In Love’, which instantly hits you with a wall of full-on riffage and perfect singalong opportunities. Katie’s vocals strike the perfect tone, and it’s impossible not to join in. Perhaps that’s the most impressive thing about Arnos Vale – at every step of the way, you kind of feel like you’re part of the gang, and that’s what music should be all about. It’s impossible not to relate to tracks like ‘Human Nature’ or ‘This Time Next Year’, and it makes you want to pick up a guitar or a drumstick yourself. After all, if being in a band can be as fun as Arnos Vale makes it seem, why aren’t we all doing it?

For all the brilliant chorus-and-riff bangers, Personal Best are not afraid to get a little weird in places either. The verses in ‘Poor Old You’ are backed with this brilliant, spidery riff and ‘This Is What We Look Like’ has a real grungy chorus with some fantastic distortion. Arnos Vale gives everyone a chance to try out something a bit different to their usual projects, and although the record has some super 90s vibes, it still sounds totally fresh and completely unique.

Arnos Vale is an absolute gem of a record. Unflinchingly honest and often beautiful, Personal Best have put together 24 minutes of solid joy. It’s super posi-indie-pop and it makes no apologies for it. Although Lou will be moving on to different things, there’s no doubt that the next Personal Best record will be just as fun. However, for now, know that Arnos Vale exists and the planet is far better for it.

4.5 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Pale Angels – Imaginary People

The bastard child of punk, grunge and britpop, Pale Angels hail from the unlikely home of Swansea, Wales via Jersey, USA. A Transatlantic combo of road veterans who between them have spent time in Crimes, The Arteries and The Ergs amongst many others, their experience pays off in an explosive record that sounds far louder than their three-piece line-up would imply. Album number two Imaginary People is released on 6 April via Exeter’s Specialist Subject Records, responsible for absolute bangers from the likes of Caves, Above Them, and Bangers themselves of course! Following on from debut LP Primal Play, frontman Mike Santostefanso’s slacker drawl leads the way through a varied mix of styles from acoustic-led indie jangle to the trademark sounds of nineties Seattle.

The opening salvo hits hard with three hook-laden anthems straight out the gates. ‘Lapin, Lapin’ has a deliciously yearning vocal line over a slowly building crescendo and a guitar riff that could have come straight off ‘In Utero’. This is followed by ‘I’m Nobody’, which cranks up the overdrive to stoner levels, and my personal favourite ‘Wild Vile Flesh’, a speedy thrasher that just sounds downright dirty. The chorus also reminds me somewhat of a Distillers song (in a there’s only so many chords in punk way, not a Gaye/Thicke lawsuit way), which is always a good thing! The trio’s years of songwriting expertise are clearly on show with singalong vocal lines galore, and you just know they’d slay it live. Later on in the record, the guys up the reverb to deliver some surftastic guitar riffs that could easily soundtrack a spy film as quickly as they could level your local dive bar venue.

Imaginary People does have a few unexpected low points though. Midway through the album, ‘Schizophrenic Affair’ sounds worryingly like Oasis in stark contrast to the punk fury unleashed in the first fifteen minutes. More unfortunate still is the ninth track ‘Dreamer’, which meanders through six boring minutes of nothing much. An underdeveloped non-song, I felt like hitting the skip button halfway through but held out until the bitter end to find little more than the death knells of an unrelenting tambourine and a spring reverb-drenched guitar that just won’t give up even after the track’s natural and much-needed end. In fact, while bands always get bonus points in my books for attempting a full-length album instead of the constant slew of EPs, this record could do with losing a fair few minutes of aimless wandering and focus instead on the short sharp hooks, of which there are many! The closing track absolves for the sins of its predecessor with a brilliantly shouty chorus and dissonant guitar riff. Another six-minute number, here the seconds don’t feel wasted as it builds throughout to a gloriously noisy conclusion.

Ultimately you don’t come to grunge expecting reinvention. It is a genre steeped in yellow smiley-face branded history, and to that end Pale Angels deliver the goods. The overall sound of the album is spot-on too, with colossal guitars erupting over disgustingly thick and fuzzy Muff bass. The production is fittingly live and raw, it’s certainly refreshing to hear drums that sound like an actual kit is being played in the same room as the rest of the band – a point missing from many over-engineered and sample reinforced rock records today. With tunes to match, ‘Imaginary People’ is well worth picking up and certainly serves as a far more fitting legacy to a certain Mr Cobain than the latest posthumous documentary doing the rounds. Flannel up and fuzz out, Pale Angels are leading the charge for grunge in 2015.

3.5 out of 5 high fives!