Jack Shaw - Snowprints

Video released December 8th 2012

Ahead of his appearance at Y Not Festival this weekend I thought I'd cast my eye over a few of Jack Shaw's tracks, what I found was a singer who sounds a little like a hybrid of Take That (new Take That, not the old dance around in your boxers Take That) and Newton Faulkner, a combination which should find him an audience with great ease. The track is easy to listen to, it has powerful and passionate vocals and lyrics and even has a good cause behind it, all proceeds going to Barnardos. This guy will get a lot bigger in the future judging by this track, he's got the image and sound that's very appealing to a lot of people and rightly so.

Jake Bugg - Broken

Video released June 20th 2013

I've never listened to Jake Bugg, unfortunately after hearing this track that’s not about to change. The video to Broken begins with Jake wandering out to a stage in a bar somewhere with a guitar in his hand and an extremely gormless look on his face, then comes the twanging. We get some lyrics about the end of a relationship and how he’s sad, all in a voice that sounds like he’s singing into a fan. A comparison which I find to be fairly accurate of this young man is if you have Liam Gallagher singing about how he’s currently feeling following the love child fiasco. The song drones along to a disappointing climax, throughout we have false hope that something might happen, we’re left unfulfilled and feeling like the last 5 minutes and 13 seconds have been stolen from our lives. In defence of this song I will say that it is well produced and the instrumentals are appealing, however it will never be my cup of tea.

Waxahatchee - Coast To Coast

Video released June 5th 2013

Katie Crutchfield’s Waxhatchee returns with the first track from “Cerulean Salt” the follow up to 2012’s “American Weekend” and it’s fantastic. At a relatively short running time of 1 minute 51 seconds the track crams a lot in, with engaging and interesting vocals and a minimalist sound it reminded me of the now defunct British band Japanese voyeurs, the video continues with the minimalist feel which works great. Great summer track from a band I now plan to listen to endlessly on Spotify for the next couple of days.

Gnarwolves - Melody has Big Plans

Video released May 22nd 2013

Heavy pop punk is something the British have never been able to do that well, it's always come across slightly teen pop punky and never hit a broad appeal, Gnarwolves so far have avoided this trap and seem to be gaining a huge following through their extensive festival touring schedule over the past couple of years. Their latest YouTube video 'Melody has Big Plans' show's just how good these guys are at what they're doing, it's aggressive, it's edgy, it's energetic and it's clearly a great crowd pleaser. The guys have a great stage presence, I caught their set at Slam Dunk South earlier in the year and was blown away by their Green Day 'Basket Case' cover, as well as their own material which got the whole crowd eating out of the palm of their hand. This band have a great future ahead of them and there's going to be a whole lot more of them seen over the next couple of years.  

The Virginmarys - Just a Ride

Video released February 21st 2013 

Macclesfield rockers The Virginmarys seem to have been working nonstop for the last couple of years, I remember first hearing about them a couple of years back but have never really kept up with them, after listening to this I’m pretty disappointed in myself because they’ve just gone from strength to strength. Taken from their debut album King of Conflict, Just a Ride is an energetic alternative rock track showing just what the three piece are capable of. To draw a comparison with other bands I’d compare them to Biffy Clyro if Simon Neil was to be replaced by a very pissed off Alex Turner, it may sound like a weird combination but it really works. The band is touring a lot of festivals this year so be sure to catch them if you’re at one they’re playing.

Weatherbird - Johnny Strange

Video released April 29th 2013

Telford alternate rockers Weatherbird’s track ‘Johnny Strange’ is a perfect example of the exciting new indie scene currently appearing throughout the UK. The band has swagger, attitude and a lot of creativity which is creating a lot of buzz with indie music blogs recently, as well as causing a stir on the British festival scene. I’d seen a lot of very positive reviews about this track before actually listening and decided I couldn't be swayed by what I’d read, that being said I loved the track, the band have a great heavy indie sound. The lead singer, Jacob Bell has the perfect attitude to front the band, moody and focussed while performing in the video, instrumentals provided by the rest of the band are tight and work perfectly with the vocals. This is a great track by a band who seem to be falling from one positive review to the next, and rightly so.

Sonic Boom Six - Karma is a Bitch

Video released June 13th 2013

I, like many Boom fans heard this track last year during one of the many performances I saw in and around London, if you look carefully in the original live footage video for this track you'll see me sporting a wolf hat and being rammed into the barrier at the Underworld show. So it'll be no surprise for you to discover that I love the song, it's classic Sonic Boom Six, this isn't about the track, it's about the new promo video in which Barney gets his shit kicked in by a group of monks, and it's as good as it sounds. Made like an 80's B movie the video features the entire band dressed like monks taking it in turns to hit the flat-cap wearing Barney Boom, although he keeps coming out on top. It's a great video, it's cheesy, it's imaginative, there's mobility scooters, explosions and it has Laila in a way she's never been seen before.

Itch - Homeless Romantic featuring Adam Lazzara

Video released June 25th 2013

What can I say about Itch, I've loved this guy's music for years, right from The King Blues, his solo EP's blew me away and his live performance is basically a class in how to perform for your fans. This is the track we've all been waiting for, everything is spot on, storytelling, lyrics, vocals, instrumentals, everything. I'm going to sound so one sided in this review and to be honest I really don't care, everything works brilliantly. The track tells the story of someone ending up on the street, how they've gone from a relatively normal upbringing and ended up as a drug addict with an abusive partner with no option but to run. Itch raps with such passion you're left with goosebumps, the particular line that did this to me was "what don't break us makes us damaged, yeah it's savage but fuck it we manage". Adam Lazzara is the perfect accompaniment to Itch throughout the song, featuring in the video Adam seemingly breaks down onto the floor while performing. One criticism I've seen people make that I feel I should confront is Itch's enormous jumper, I think this is caused through jealousy and envy of not being able to go work dressed the same.

Coroner for the Police - Shot Benny

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Eyes On Film - Waking Up Dead

Video released March 4th 2013

Highly recommended by Carl Barat of The Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things fame Eyes on Film already have a lot of buzz surrounding them and after listening to this track you’ll see why. Powerful moody vocals come thanks to Dan Mills and Daisy Palmer, when paired up with Ryan Andrews’ video the tone of the track is shown perfectly. The video has a very dark tone, the band are seen energetically performing behind a chain fence with little to no colour on show, paired with the song this video works amazingly. The band show a very Horrors-esque sound which I really liked, if the album lives up the hype surrounding them at the minute it’s going to be something really special.

WhiteMoor FT. Motormouf - All I've Ever Known

Video released March 25th 2013

Post apocalyptic pop rockers WhiteMoor are back with their follow up to 'High Lights', taken from their debut album 'Horizons' and it's a little different to it's predecessor. Featuring Just James MC Motormouf this song loses none of the atmospheric sounds that made their first track so popular, quite the opposite in fact. They've still got the unique vocals and powerful instrumentals but the part of this track that I feel really stands out is the breakdown towards the end by Motormouf, combined with the softer music backing it was a genius idea by someone. The video does nothing but add to the atmosphere created by the music, filmed entirely in black and white it's reminiscent of the game Fallout in a strange way. Based on this track I can safely say that this band has a bright future ahead of them, they're willing to take risks and when they do they work amazingly.

Babyshambles - Nothing Comes To Nothing

Video released July 9th 2013

Pete is back with Babyshambles, this new pleases me beyond anything else lately, and what we've been given is a track we've been waiting for. Since the last Babyshambles album we've had a solo Pete Doherty album and the rest of the band off doing their own thing, none of it has ever managed to reached the glorious highs we had with Babyshambles and to be honest it's a relief they're back. This track is the first release of their upcoming third album 'Sequel to the Prequel' and if this is anything to go by the quality hasn't declined in during their gap.

Broken Witt Rebels - Call Out The Sun

Video released July 27th 2013

Birmingham four piece blues rock band Broken Witt Rebels are back with their follow up to ‘All Worn Out’ and what we get is something very different to what a lot of British artists are offering at the moment. The track, Call out the Sun is a muddy sounding blues rock song about a broken love and a girlfriend unable to forgive. The American Bluesy sound is represented in the video with an empty bottle of Jack Daniels being focussed in on while the band plays; well drinking does help a broken heart, doesn’t it? The guitar work from James Tranter and vocals from Danny Core work perfectly together, throw in the bass from Luke Davis and drummer Anthony Byrne and you’ve got what could possibly prove to be the UK’s answer to The Black Keys within the next couple of years. Great follow up from a band that seem to know exactly what they want and are willing to work hard to get it.

Mellor - In The Water

Video released October 31st 2012

Up and coming Reading based rock band Mellor return with their new track 'In The Water' and it's very Arctic Monkey-esque. The video, filmed within the town centre show's the band performing in a shop window emulating mannequins. This is one of two things, either a bit of a laugh calling them dummies or symbolizing them putting themselves on show. The track has the sound of a 90's rock band, with comparisons to Oasis easy to make, however there's a feel that they're go for a lot older theme here. All in all this track shows the band's talents brilliantly, they're eager show themselves off to people, which is seemingly working, giving them slots on the Redfest line up, a set at Camden Rocks and a few support slots at Barfly's Jubilee night.

Jay Z - Holy Grail (Featuring Justin Timberlake)

Video released July 3rd 2013

Holy Grail is the first single release from Jay z’s (notice I remembered the all-important hyphen drop there) latest album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. The song, featuring an intro and hook from Jay Z’s current BFF Justin Timberlake has drummed up a considerable amount of press pre-release due to the inclusion of some Nirvana lyrics, this has got under a lot of peoples skin for reasons I really can’t fathom. My main problem with these lyrics being included isn’t because they’re from a completely different genre from one of the 90’s best loved bands, it’s because they’re really not needed in the song at all, even the way Jay Z has made them seem more relevant is confusing, rhyming blame with Kurt Cobain. Another problem I have is that Jay Z’s verses seem to have no connection to Justin Timberlake’s intro or hook, while Jay Z is rapping about the perils of being one of the wealthiest and most famous musicians in the world, Justin Timberlake is singing about a strained relationship with what sounds like a total bitch. That being said the song does sound good, Jay Z hasn’t lost his flow one bit while Justin Timberlake is on top form with his vocals, even the beat is good. While not one of his best tracks he’s ever released it’s still got a lot more going on than most artists in the charts at the moment.

The Computers - Mr. Saturday Night

Video released May 31st 2013

Today I've gone for a band I have never really listened to yet have heard a lot of good things about, in particular from Jamie Jazz's Twitter where he referred to them as the best band in the UK at the moment, and from this track I'm impressed. The track in question, Mr. Saturday Night is a great example of what is making this band so exciting at the moment with their catchy tunes, unique vocals and a totally different style to a lot of other artists around, making them destined for big things in the future.

The Libertines - Up The Bracket

Track released September 30th 2003

After watching 'There are no innocent bystanders' I got all emotional and found the obvious thing to do would be to write about one of my favourite tracks they recorded, Up The Bracket. The Libertines pretty much changed my life, before having them introduced to me I listened to nothing but metal, these guys showed me a type of music that had a message, music with spirit, written from the heart, I was blown away. Listening back to both albums now is amazing for several reasons, the main reason being that they haven't aged, they're still as relevant as they ever were.

The reason I have chose this track above the others is simply because it's my favourite, it's not their best or most successful but there's a charm about it which did nothing but increase my love for them. Taken from their first album, of the same name, the song takes it's name from a cockney saying about punching someone in the throat, the violence is shown in the song, as is it's London roots. The song tells the story of the protagonist of the piece being offered money for a woman's address and the protagonist boldly declining their offer, being chased and warned, then experiencing the same offer again yet more money for the address and still declining despite being warned about basically ending up left dead in a hole. The reason I love this track so much, and the whole first album for that matter is that it showed so much hope, it showed the love between Carl and Pete, the follow up, The Libertines showed a band knowing their time was limited and the damaged already done to their relationship was unrepairable in a lot of ways. The first album showed hope, as did this track and in a lot of ways that's a message that is far more powerful than singing about broken relationships.

The Skints - Out My Mind

Video released May 15th 2013

East London reggae punk outfit, The Skints are back with their follow up to 2012's Part and Parcel with new track Out My Mind, a Joshua Waters Rudge lead track about the recent break down of a relationship and trying to deal with the best you can. The video, created by London film maker Chris Hugall seems to have been made on a shoestring budget, featuring extras using props to show TVs, words on the white set and broken hearts. The rest of the band pop up towards the end with Marcia Richards, Jamie Kyriakides and Jonathan Doyle playing with a giant NES controller and each playing instruments as a way of therapy for their heartbroken friend. The song, set to feature on the upcoming deluxe edition of Part and Parcel has a very different feel compared to older stuff yet keeping in the same spirit and showing no decline in quality. If nothing else the video shows Rudge doing his best superman impression and fighting a man sized pig. 

Benin City - Faithless

Video released May 28th 2013

Taken from their debut album Fires In The Park released July 1st Benin City release Faithless. To say this song is fascinating is an understatement, the lead singer/rapper Josh Idehen's gentle lyrics over the top of beautifully intricate music works perfectly, giving the listener a sound unlike anything around at the moment. The video show's Josh and the rest of the band performing whilst flashes of the lyrics appear occasionally. To me the song show's a man fighting a battle with himself while still striving to keep faith in himself, the video perfectly accompanies this, as the music's tempo increases the video becomes far more lively. Based on this track alone you can tell these guys have a lot of passion for what they do and they are doing it very well. 

Kids In Glass Houses - Drive

Video released June 5th 2013

From my previous review of You Me At Six's most recent effort Reckless you may be surprised to see me actually putting myself through more pop punk, however this is different for many reasons and I will go through these before I start the main body of the review. 

1. I've seen this band live recently at Slam Dunk festival and was actually quite impressed, they had great crowd interaction, a good stage persona and a lot of energy.

2. They're less of a pop punk band now days, they seem to have grown as a band and show a lot more maturity in their song writing.

3. I heard this song playing earlier and actually liked it.

This is their newest track, it's taken from the upcoming album Peace, follow up to 2011's In Gold Blood and it's actually fairly good. The video is minimalist, filmed in black and white with the band members shown as well as a female character the song is wrote about. The song is the classic template, love and angst, perfect for their teenage fans to get to grips with.

I think this song show's how much the band have grown and matured over their ten year history with the song being comparable to Foo Fighters in a lot of ways. While they will never be my go to band you can't argue with a good sounding track from a band that seems to know their core market and how to adapt to other genres while still keeping their individuality.

Bleach Blood - H.O.P.E.

Video released July 10th 2013

Within the last nine months Bleach Blood have come a long way, they've released their début EP 'The Young Heartbreaker's Club' featuring the single Let Your Heart Sing and it's follow up Anything Anything, as well as going on tour with the now defunct punk band Sharks and headline shows at The Water Rats in Kings Cross, the new club night Omega at The Finsbury and a show at Camden Rocks. Their new single is called H.O.P.E. and it's got a sound not heard on previous efforts, it sounds huge. The song, like previous Bleach Blood tracks is about broken relationships, in this case it's about a friendship coming to an end. Jamie's lyrics are extremely effective and emotive easily as well as the vocals and the instrumental, everything is put into a great balance giving it a great sound. The song perfectly portrays the feelings that you get with the end of a relationship, towards the end of the song you see how it's better to just let go rather than cling on to the anger and hate and to just have hope for the future. This song shows how the band have matured in their relatively short time together, they're finding a new sound and sounding better and better as time goes on and gives real H.O.P.E. for their forthcoming début album (see what I did there?).

You Me At Six - Reckless

Released October 22nd 2012

Britain's favourite pop punkers You Me At Six are back with another infectious, heart broken yet still jolly sounding track from their 2011 album Sinners Never Sleep. Not much is done different to other songs in their back catalogue, teen friendly lyrics and cheesy American accents are here in droves as well as the 'we're lads with a heart of gold' video, it even includes them being tattooed and throwing up the horns! Madness I know.

I'll be honest, I've never been a fan of this band, I've never even really listened to them, I hate British pop punk with a passion, I think it was done to the best possible standards during the 90's by bands like Sum 41 and Blink 182, however there's something quite endearing about this song. They know who their market is and they are going to play it to their very best, while I find the lyrics very generic and completely mind numbing I can see that they're not making music to share a message, they're doing it for their young fans to dance around to. This is shown at around 2.30 in where there's a breakdown allowing their fans to sing along, which they do.

While they're not changing the world or giving people a message they are bringing happiness to millions of teenage girls and boys out there trying to prove how different they are to the other people in their class, and this is good, it'll never be my cup of tea but it's not as bad as other pop punk bands I've heard.

Paloma Faith - New York

Released September 13th 2009

The second single from London soul singer Paloma Faith's debut album 'Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful?' is this, 'New York' and it shows just what she's capable of. Powerful vocals, catchy tunes and infectious lyrics, this gave her the first major step towards international stardom. Now four years and a second album later and Paloma is stronger than ever, this track has aged fantastically, I was honestly shocked when I read it has been four years.

Featuring the London based Souls of Prophecy Gospel Choir New York is the story of a woman who's boyfriend has recently left her to live permanently in New York and the aftermath of the break up and how she's dealing with it. She does not want to hear about how his life is going, the new friends he's made because it's all because he has left her for a new city. The song perfectly showcases Paloma's vocal range and the sheer power in her voice, she sings with such passion and emotion, it's no wonder the amount of buzz around her at the time and even now. This song show's just how far Paloma will go in her career, when a singer starts this strong the only way is up, and she's proving this with every new piece of material she's released since.

Itch - Life is Poetry

Video released July 5th 2013

Itch follows up previous solo tracks such as 'Homeless Romantic' and 'Best Shot' with a new spoken word piece. The minimalist video is recorded face on in one shot and show's the London born punk/poet/rapper speaking about his music, other people's music and his reason for making music. The song show's that Itch still has the same passion as he did in the beginning of his career the song follows in the footsteps of previous spoken word pieces such as 'Five Bottles Of Shampoo' and 'The Great Wall Street of China'. This song proves that Itch still has it and we've got a lot to look forward to with his upcoming solo album.

Earl Sweatshirt - WHOA

Video and iTunes release March 12th 2013.

Just under five months since the release of 'Chum', Earl Sweatshirt is back with new track 'WHOA', his second release since returning from Samoa early last year. It's clear from the beginning that as an artist he has matured considerably since his début, 'Earl' in 2010. The track begins with a intro from video director and long time collaborator Tyler, The Creator explaining that, just because he made Chum and got all personal, it doesn't mean he's going to go back to that 2010 shit. The beat bursts in followed by Earl's usual anti establishment, intricate word play, lyrics involving bank lifting, weed smoking and asking your mother to tag along with some beer and a bong all featuring in the first verse. Tyler's hook kicks featuring his usual golf wang phrase, exclaiming it's the G-O-L-F-dub-A-N-G. Earl's back in informing the listening that it's the misadventures of a shit talker, dropping in lyrics about about the blue pill making your stick longer and writing with a used syringe from behind the local loony clinic rather than a pen. The lyrics are pop culture heavy, featuring references to Quidditch, Padawans and Rick Ross, along with the Knicks and Sears. The song then comes to an end with Tyler's hook playing out.

This track shows there is a lot more to come from Earl, it shows age has worked well for him, his lyrics are tighter, he's going less for pure shock value and more for entertainment proving in years to come he could be one of the most popular artists within his genre as well as the potential for his upcoming album 'Doris' due for release August 20th.