Robyn Writes

Records of the Year – 2013

I have been avoiding this list like the plague. In a year of such incredible music, especially from our own fair United Kingdom, putting a list together seems completely arbitrary and not really a celebration of the year at all. But convention dictates that I really should do something. So, in the traditional fashion, I’ve gone for a top ten. Except for the top spot, all of these could be fairly interchangeable as to how fantastic they are. In their own way, each of these records represents a perfect moment in time, whether it was a great return or a truly exciting debut. So, without further ado, I give you my top ten albums of 2013. Now go and have yourselves a bloody good Christmas and a cracking New Year.

Heartthrob was completely different to the usual Tegan and Sara style. Instead of mysterious indie-pop, they went full-on with a bunch of synths and explicit lyrics. And it was good. There are places that are so 80s, you’d swear you were wearing frilly sleeves and more eyeliner than is good for you, until it breaks into a pounding chorus that wouldn’t feel out of place at your local nightclub. Totally unexpected, highly irreverent, completely fantastic.

It was a big year for comebacks, and Fall Out Boy had one of the biggest ones yet. I’ll admit, I was wary of the FOB reunion to begin with. But Patrick Stump’s time crafting R&B hooks was put to good use and combined with a few pop-punk sensibilities, Save Rock And Roll is a complete progression. A necessary one, some might say, and it showed the world that Fall Out Boy were back in full force and ready to take your radio by storm. Also, the bass riff to ‘Where Did The Party Go’ is one of the best things they’ve ever done.

“THIS. IS. SEMPITERNAL.” That gang chorus was a sign. Bring Me The Horizon were not taking any shit. Also, it’s a remarkably uncommon word, very clever in its usage, and that’s what Bring Me The Horizon’s fourth album is – extraordinarily clever. It’s not necessarily intricate, there’s nu-metal influence everywhere, but it completely bends and breaks previous expectations of the band and creates a sonic journey like nothing else. From the vitriolic ‘Antivist’ to the beautiful ‘And The Snakes Start To Sing’, nothing about Sempiternal is imperfect.

Hey You Guys! are an amalgamation of some of the Worcester scene’s heroes, and these dudes have brought together an unmatched sense of humour, savvy lyrics and catchy-as-fuck hooks into one mindblowing record. Our interview with Hey You Guys! explains further why we love them, but Gasp Shock Horror is 28 minutes of sheer joy.

This record came at the perfect time for We Are Fiction. With bands like Mallory Knox, Young Guns and Canterbury making it big, it’s only a matter of time until We Are Fiction are massive, and they absolutely deserve it. One of the hardest working bands in the UK scene have brought out a record that echoes the glorious post-hardcore scene of the early 2000s while still remaining fresh and relevant. The dual vocal approach from Phil Barker and Marc Kucharski works so well, and it’s one of those records that has you hitting ‘repeat’ the second it’s done. Kate’s review of One For Sorrow says it all.

Let’s be honest, apart from In With The Out Crowd which was a bit iffy, Less Than Jake always deliver the goods. See The Light is no exception. From start to finish, it’s filled with ska-punk bangers. As sunny as a Floridian summer afternoon, no other album has made me smile so much this year, or want to dance as much, and I look forward to blasting this out in the summer at all the barbeques.

An absolutely solid effort from Bangers this year, Crazy Fucking Dreams is the kind of record other punk bands dream of making. Although they’re sticking with the tried and tested ‘big riffs, big rants’ formula, there’s still plenty of innovation here, and their story-telling skills are in full swing, with tracks that can’t help but speak to you. If you like your punk honest and raw, but actually listenable with wonderfully gruff vocals, Bangers are the band for you. And Crazy Fucking Dreams is brilliant.

Again, this was a record I was slightly wary of. Lead single ‘Miss Jackson’ didn’t impress me much, but as soon as ‘This Is Gospel’ made an appearance, I knew that Panic! were back on track to an absolute hit. Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! is ten straight tracks of pop glory. Every song has a totally different feel to it, but all of them carry something wonderful to the front, whether that’s a catchy chorus or a beautifully poignant melody. Continuing post-Ross is one of the best things Panic! could have done – this is exactly why.

It was clear from the days of Reuben that Jamie Lenman was an almost unnaturally talented songwriter – how was it possible for post-hardcore to be so good and yet maintain a distinctly British voice? It just hadn’t been done before. Like Muscle Memory hasn’t been done before. The first side, Muscle, is the most gut-wrenching hardcore record of the year, with crushing, dirgey riffs abound. It’s utterly glorious. However, second side, Memory, is a folky, poppy, acoustic-y, big band-y foray into something completely genius. Separately, they’d both be incredible records, but together, they combine to create something phenomenal. Not to mention, releasing two records like this together is punk as fuck.

A predictable entry into the list, but an extremely important one. Burials is the best thing AFI have done since The Art Of Drowning. It’s not to say that their efforts in-between have been bad, but Burials was outstanding. A raw, emotional journey juxtaposed with some of the most intricate songwriting that AFI has ever exhibited? Sign me up. Twice. You can read my full love letter to Burials here, or better yet, you can go and buy it and remember why you fell in love with music to begin with.

Review: The Hand In The Ocean – Tree/Forts

For better or for worse, folk has emerged once again to the fore of popular music, infiltrating not just the charts but the upper echelons of rock festival line-ups and manifesting in the irksome trend for faux-Victorian apparel. A last bastion of supposed ‘authenticity’ against the convoluted sheen of the EDM behemoth, it has introduced traditional music to a whole new generation of fans otherwise beset by technology and the omnipresence of the digital. All male trio The Hand In The Ocean are yet another set of tweed loving twenty-somethings armed with banjos and a large catalogue of open tunings. Sparse in instrumentation and bearing a tumultuous emotionality, their self-recorded mini-album Tree/Forts is a highly tolerable strain of contemporary folk with a lyrical rawness that’s far removed from any of that thumping Mumford & Sons folk-pop tripe. This is far from another bandwagon jumping record, bearing little evidence of the contrivance that besets the like of chart-botherers Ben Howard and the like. Instruments meander at an often languorous pace – for the most part unaccompanied by rhythmic device in a manner that suggests a stream-of-consciousness application of finger to fretboard.Tree/Forts conjures a late night atmosphere, as if the members are expelling the last remnants of energy in carving out the intricate lead melodies before they collapse into extended slumber. It’s a rejectionist record- resisting the lumbering zeitgeist through a continuation of tradition.

Acknowledgement of quintessential 21st Century sounds make a single appearance on the record in the guise of the heavily R&B indebted hand-clap beat that closes the beautiful ‘Brackish’, a track that initially brims with a propulsive gusto before beating hasty retreat to the languid delivery that characterises the record. Existing as sole permeation of contemporary influence into their otherwise stringent traditionalism, the handclaps may initially appear incongruous but their low key delivery saves them from spoiling the bleary-eyed atmosphere the three-piece have carefully constructed.

‘Moss Wine’ is characterised by a whispered, spoken vocal indebting the listener with an immediate sense of intimacy with the protagonist’s digressions, ostensibly directed at his unnamed lover as a lone guitar delivers the most minimal of accompaniments. The segue into ‘White Noise’ is sublime, with guitar and banjo united in grainy twang before the entrance of some severely quivering vocals that sound as if the vocalists throat cannot help but buckle under the emotional weight of every melancholy phrase. A single backing baritone vocal adds a haunting quality and effective depth to the otherwise frail vocal delivery. Bringing the record to a close is the mournful ‘Porcelain’ – the achingly slow tempo leaving plenty of space for a tremolo-picked banjo and isolated xylophone to dabble in exquisite melodies over a backdrop of sampled rain. It may be sombre and emotionally pained but the closing minute or so offers glimmers of hope in the xylophones heavenly chimes and a renewed vigour that takes hold in the singer’s once fragile vocal.

Tree/Forts is a record of simplicity- exploring possibilities of just two or three instruments under a folk guise. Certainly, there are times when the record’s meandering sensibilities work against it – with the trio sticking resolutely to the same aural plain throughout. Yet, it is wonderfully earnest and exudes the favoured cabin-in-the-woods aesthetic that folkies just can’t resist. This is folk in its purest form – raw and stark yet exuding a certain alluring warmth felt only by the soul.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Water Knot – Sometimes [EP]

Water Knot are from New York, but that’s about as much as you can nail down about them. Sometimes is a diverse, sprawling record, completely eschewing any kind of genre favouritism to create something that’s highly intriguing and completely unique.

The inventiveness and playfulness that abound throughout Sometimes is heartwarming. Although it’s clear that Water Knot take their craft very seriously, there’s a sense of play that is often lacking from this kind of proggy, experimental rock and roll – if that even comes anywhere close. There are guitar riffs that strut, synth solos that completely destroy any preconceptions, and even if vocalist Louis does sound a bit like he’s trying to be Alex Turner in places, that boy’s got some good range. The EP showcases just what Water Knot can do, with tracks as varied as alt-rock anthem ‘Big Brother’, Eastern-inspired ‘Ready’ and the rock and roll stomper ‘Lust’. There’s some big ideas in Sometimes, even if there’s some fairly base lyrics (‘Lust’ doesn’t exactly leave much to the imagination), and an even bigger sound that cannot be ignored.

The EP does have a few problems though. At times, it’s as if Water Knot don’t know where to focus. Although they’ve created a record that’s innovative and enthralling, there’s a loss of control in places that can’t be afforded in this kind of record. There’s the strange, off-time first verse of ‘Sometimes’, and the oddly Vaudevillian cartoon noises and excessive soloing in ‘Revelations’, which just confuse and confound. But when Water Knot get it right, they get it so right.

Even bearing those imperfections in mind, this is the next step of a journey that is far from over. Lead single ‘Lust’ was featured on the soundtrack to Homefront, Sylvester Stallone’s latest movie, and with a debut album following in 2014, it looks like it’s going to be a big year for Water Knot.

3.5 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Living Dead Lights – Black Letters

Imagine if Papa Roach had decided to take equal influence from Guns n Roses and The Germs. Then, imagine that instead of meeting in their hometown, they came from all corners of the world. Toss in a few umlauts and a better dress sense and you have Living Dead Lights.

Don’t take that as anything derogatory, though. Their debut album Black Letters is a big, no-fucks-given rock record and in that, it’s completely genius. On the surface, it’s not overtly clever – lyrically, it’s your typical hard rock cheese in places – but dig deeper and you’ll find cheeky references to horror legend, extraordinarily tight musicianship and an unashamedly irresponsible take on modern rock music. Glorious.

It’s hard not to revel in the sheer indulgence of Black Letters. Although to begin with, it’s rather misleading. ‘I’ll Be Your Frankenstein’ is littered with a ‘one-two fuck-you’ punk attitude, loads of screaming and really fast drums. However, it becomes apparent with lead single ‘This Is Our Evolution’ that the 90s power ballad isn’t dead yet and rock ‘n’ roll parading becomes the order of the day. The record as a whole is bold and brash, simultaneously taking cues from American rock stars and the over-the-top (but frankly incredible) Japanese music scene. ‘Vacant’, for example, chucks in a load of piano and bells over some serious rock riffs – in theory, it’s completely ridiculous, but it works so well.

Working with Fred Archambault, David Spreng and Tom Baker has no doubt had some influence on that – tying together some big producers, who have worked with some big rock and metal bands, is bound to have some kind of impact on the sound. However, what it doesn’t account for is tracks like ‘Hey Stranger!’ which could be just as easily taken off a Die Hunns album were it not for the rock ballad in the middle section, or closer ‘Ghosts and Saints’, which is a country-inspired acoustic tale of loss. What I admire about this record is that Living Dead Lights are not afraid to bring it all to the table, and in doing so, it totally pays off.

Pick up Black Letters if you’re after something fun to kick-start your New Year with. This is rock in its purest sense, injected with punk’s reckless abandon and infused with a well-deserved notion of grandeur.

4 out of 5 high fives!

J-Pop Sunday: Utada Hikaru

Hi everyone! I’m hijacking the column this Sunday in order to talk about the queen of J-Pop. That’s right – Miss Utada Hikaru.

Absolute goddess Utada Hikaru right there

Quick Guide
Act Name: Utada Hikaru (better known as Utada in Western territories, or Hikki by her fans)
Line-up: Hikaru Utada (宇多田光)
Years Active: 1996–2011 (currently on hiatus)
Genre: Pop
Robyn’s Choice Tracks: Simple and Clean (2002), Passion (2006), Nichiyou no Asa (2006) Flavor of Life (2008)

You could pretty much say that music was in Utada’s blood. She was born and raised in New York City, and her father was a record producer, while her mother was an enka singer. When Utada’s career truly began in 1996, she did her recordings with her mum under the name of Cubic U. Her first record, Precious, came out under this name, and was in English! In fact, Utada has had three English albums, not to mention a number of EPs and singles. Utada didn’t make her debut in Japan until 1999, but it was a big one. First Love is the best-selling record in Japan to this day.


The eponymous single from First Love is a ballad

On the whole, First Love is a pretty 90s affair. While it doesn’t have the musical depth of Utada’s later albums, it’s still a good listen. And if you go digging for the videos, there are some ridiculously awful special effects.

However, it wasn’t this which introduced me to Utada. I find out about most of my J-Pop from anime or video games, and this was no exception. In 2002, Tetsuya Nomura approached Utada Hikaru and asked to use her song ‘Hikari’ in his new game, Kingdom Hearts. She re-recorded it for the game, and in English-speaking territories, it became ‘Simple and Clean’:


The opening track to Kingdom Hearts, which is a mashup of Disney and Final Fantasy. In other words, the bomb.

It was ‘Simple and Clean’ that would open her up to a whole new audience, especially in the West. It’s such a beautiful song, and when juxtaposed against the dream-like opening of the game, her vocals seem even more impressive, if that’s even possible. She positively has the voice of an angel. Although she’s perfectly suited to both English and Japanese, I find that I tend to prefer the Japanese versions of her songs. I’m not sure why, they just seem to flow better. Utada was featured again in the next Kingdom Hearts game with her song ‘Sanctuary’, but the original Japanese version, ‘Passion’, is far more impressive.


Strange anime lady is having a grand old time here.

‘Passion’ is my favourite Utada song, and it’s taken from Ultra Blue, my favourite Utada album. I love ‘Passion’ because it’s so unlike anything else she’s ever done. As soon as that guitar kicks in, you know you’re getting into something good. Utada always manages to create so much atmosphere in her songs, but nothing even comes close to ‘Passion’. Essentially, if you listen to no other J-Pop album (but why wouldn’t you, we’ve shown you some cracking bands), then at least listen toUltra Blue. It’s full of pop goodness. Virtually every track has a different feel and as a whole, the album showcases just how talented a songwriter Utada really is.

Utada’s last Japanese album was Heart Station, and it’s a whole load of fun. It’s pretty much what you’d come to expect from Japan’s biggest star, and final track ‘Flavor of Life’ is a joyous, life-affirming affair. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to find a video of the original version, but Utada also included a ballad version on the album.


Utada performs with a pretty cool string section in this slowed down version of Flavor of Life

She released the English album This Is The One in 2009, which had a greater influence from R&B, rather than the electro-pop that she’s famed for. It received generally good reviews, although it wasn’t quite as successful as her previous Japanese efforts. This was to be Utada’s last full album release, and the last one released under the name ‘Utada’, before she announced a two to five year hiatus in 2011. However, in between that, she released a few singles, and bizarrely enough, appeared on ‘London City’ by UK rapper Devlin. Remember him? I don’t, but sure enough, there are some samples from ‘Passion’ on that.

Hopefully, we’ll see a return from Utada Hikaru soon. After all, if Kingdom Hearts 3 finally makes an appearance, it’ll need a new theme tune…

More Utada Hikaru:
Facebook (English): https://www.facebook.com/Utada
Twitter (Japanese, with occasional English tweets): https://twitter.com/utadahikaru
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/hikki