V V Brown - The Apple

Video released August 14th 2013

V V Brown is one of those singers you can mention to someone and have nothing in response but a blank stare and further questioning about whom you’re talking about, however name her debut track 'Crying Blood' and you’ll have a reaction of how they love that song. This to me is a shame, she’s a fantastic talent and one the UK should be extremely proud of, while she’s got her fan base it baffles me why it’s not considerably larger. Her new single and music video was released August 14^th with very little publicity, and it shows exactly why I feel she should be huge because the track is a fantastic piece of work. Taken from the new album 'Samson and Delilah' we've got something that sounds genuinely beautiful, the beat and music works in to a perfect combination, Brown's voice displays both grace and power while almost blending into the music. Another fantastic track from a singer who I believe really deserves more recognition. 

Leopards - Have a Heart

Video released July 8th 2013

The UK has an exciting music scene at the moment, there's alternative rock, blues rock, hip hop, rap and punk amongst others, there's a lot of good stuff coming out. Pop punk/pop rock band Leopards are by far one of the best of this recent influx of bands, with a very Paramore sound they will easily discover a fan base, as well as their attractive lead singer Jenna Clare not hurting their chances.

The track I'm reviewing here, 'Have a Heart' is a perfect example of what's to come from this band, great vocals working perfectly with brilliant musicality, the tracks main message is to have a heart and work at things you want. The vocals are powerful and strong, the music is tight and it works together perfectly. This is a great start to what should be a long and successful career, keep it up.

Panic at the Disco - This is Gospel

Video released August 11th 2013

Panic at the Disco were always one of those bands I thought of as mine, when I was a lot younger I saw how everyone was getting into Fall Out Boy and decided the mainstream option was too boring so found what seemed like Fall Out Boys younger brother band then immediately hated everyone who liked them too because I thought it would make me less different. Yes, I was a weird kid as you can get a gist of with that last statement but Panic were always a great band, catchy hooks, good vocals and imaginative videos, their new track 'This is gospel', taken from the upcoming album 'Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die' is no different. The video opens with Brendon Urie on a hospital bed, he then fights with some doctors, then gets buried, then swims out and breaks through some walls then ends up dying on a hospital table, there's some rope fighting along the way too. It's got a lot going on through it's three minute run. They've not lost any of their charm with age, it's still catchy and it's a sure fire hit in the right circles.

Babyshambles - Nothing Comes To Nothing video release

Video released August 11th 2013

I recently reviewed the new Babyshambles track 'Nothing Comes To Nothing' with just an audio video, and very impressed was an understatement. We've now got a video *waits for applause to die down*, it's added something more to the track, improved it and showed that Babyshambles are back and better than ever. The video is pretty down to earth affair, no storyline gimmicks or dramatic acting scenes just the band fucking around and performing, we've got footage of Pete fighting basically everyone, including a fellow band member and a mannequin. Another addition which I find particularly welcome is the inclusion of audio from the video over the top of the music, there's gig goers declaring their love of a live show and the band having a laugh. It shows the band are getting along and everyone is happy which, even if not completely true is nice to see. Great track and a fantastic video thrown in, welcome back Babyshambles.

Max Raptor - Breakers

Video released 26th June 2013

Unique vocals, fantastic instrumentals and copious amounts of creativity, Max Raptor are making a mark on the British punk scene and from this video you can see why. The video is filmed in black and white and breaking into colour throughout the video's run time, it features clip after clip of politicians and political journalists from BBC, Sky and other news sites as well as footage of Wil Ray and the rest of the band performing. Fantastic track from one of my favourite bands around at the moment.

Natives - Stand for Something

Video released April 3rd 2013

Natives are one of those bands I've heard of but never really listened to, my girlfriend has mentioned them a few times but I've never really gave them a chance. The New Hampshire four piece alternative rock and pop group's new track Stand for Something, taken from the new EP of the same is not quite what I was expecting. It's an upbeat and rather inspiring piece of music, it's message is to find something in your life that is worth living for and working towards it to give yourself focus, and it's a great basis. The video follows the songs message, it features people holding cards with signs on about what they're reason is, it's very similar to All American Rejects video for Dirty Little Secret, I imagine this is was a big influence on them when making the video. Great track from a band with a great future ahead of them.

Johnny Borrell - Pan European Supermodel Song (Oh! Gina)

Video released June 23rd 2013

Remember when Razorlight were massive, everywhere you went you'd hear 'America' or 'In The Morning'? What happened is the real question. Slipway Fires was released in 2008, that's madness. Borrell returns but he's lost the band, he's going it alone, he's toned down the arrogance and dealt with his god complex to a point and is back making music, and it's a lot different. I'm not entirely sure what happened during his 5 years off but he seems to have been on an adventure, he's a changed man and has a changed sound. The video, involving Borrell and a group of others pushing a piano through the streets while one of the group plays as they walk, it's a small production and works great with this new incarnation. Regardless of sales of his debut album I'm glad he's back, Razorlight had a massive effect on my music taste while growing up and it's good to seem someone I've got so much love for giving it another go.

Willy Moon - Get Up (What You Need)

Video released July 31st 2013

New Zealand born alternative indie singer and producer Willy Moon, real name William George Sinclair releases the video to Get Up (What You Need) and for an artist I have very little knowledge of I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this track. Moon's career took off somewhat with his track 'Yeah Yeah' when it featured on Apples 2012 advertising campaign for it's newest incarnation of their iPod, and it's no surprise, Moon's sound is very radio and TV friendly which will be of huge benefit when gaining new fans. The song, Get Up (What You Need) is the next single to be taken from Moon's debut album 'Here's Willy Moon' and it's very catchy, the hook "you got to get up on your feet to get what you need" show's what the song is all about, it's about life, it's about doing everything you can to get what you want and to where you want to be, the beat and music work in perfect harmony with the gravelly vocals. Overall this is just the next step on the road to great success for Moon, it show's he's got great music writing abilities as well as the charm to gain a big following.

Tinie Tempah featuring 2 Chainz - Trampoline

Video released July 2nd 2013

Oh Tinie, if only you'd stopped after Earthquake, if only you'd had a better back story, if only you didn't go for mass appeal but went for musical integrity instead, unfortunately Tinie did none of these things, he instead released this track. With repetitive words such as 'jump, jump, jump trampoline' and naming random capital cities, he has no innovation, he has not vision all he seems to do is bend over and wait for Radio One to fuck him, it's a shame because there's been flashes of brilliance in previous songs. 2 Chainz also features on this little ditty, I have no idea who he is, he has a way better flow than ol' Tinie but it doesn't save a very weak track and a particular low point in a persons career.

Rat Attack - A Bird in The Hand

Video released May 8th 2013

Rat Attack seem to have come from nowhere fairly fast, their debut EP 'Rat Attack' received a lot of extremely positive reviews from various music magazines including a four K rating from Kerrang! And by listening to this track you can see why. The band show a lot of passion for the music they're polaying, there's powerful vocals, a lot of energy and stage presence and heavy guitars and drums. With a sound a lot like older Kids In Glass Houses material the band will find a fan base extremely easily, and it's well deserved. If they keep churning out tracks like this they've got a very bright future ahead of them add that with appearances in festivals such as Reading and Leeds and Y Not they're on to a winner.

Action Bronson - Strictly For My Jeeps

Video released May 20th 2013

I feel as if I've missed out on the Action Bronson hype so far, I gave him a listen a couple of months ago and didn't really get it, I think my main problem was I was expecting something similar to Sage Francis but what I got was something a lot different. Recently I've seen this track, Strictly for my Jeeps doing the rounds on my Twitter and Facebook feeds and decided to give it a listen, and I'm a lot more on board now, I’m slowly starting to get it more. The track, taken from the EP ‘Saaab Stories’ has a great flow, the hook is catchy and Bronson shows he’s actually worth the hype surrounding him. Now on to the video, there’s a lot of large woman footage, most memorably is a very large woman in a bikini dancing while Bronson jiggles her arse, it’s memorable for all the wrong reasons. The video has links to Bronson’s past as a chef, there’s a nice cooking scene which looks like something from Masterchef followed by a sit down meal with friends and a cake of his face, and it’s a lovely scene. Overall I think this track shows a very unique rapper, he’s not conventional by any stretch of the imagination but he’s got something about him that’s highly appealing and I think that’s going to help his career considerably.

MGMT - Your Life is a Lie

Video released August 5th 2013

Everyone’s favourite New York rock n roll duo MGMT return from their 3 year gap with Your Life is a Lie, and they’re still catchy as hell. The kicks in after a brief drum solo and a pot being hit by a hippie looking kind of guy, from there the video gets more and more strange. Henry Winkler shows up talking to a girl on a bed, there’s an old man eating a banana in time with the music, a baby with a balloon in space and other nightmarish scenes making a unique promo video for the track. It’s a strangely catchy and unusual song from a band famed for their strange and catchy songs and videos, a welcome return to them, they've been missed.

Itch - Best Shot

Video released June 14th 2013

If you've read my blog in the past you'll know about my love and borderline obsession with both The King Blues and Itch as a solo artist, it's taken a while for me to write about this track and I honestly have no idea why because it's great. The song is about being knocked down in anything in life and just getting back up and saying go for it, give me your best shot, something you can see Itch has had a lot of in his life. He raps with passion, the lyrics are tight and he goes hard through the whole track. The video features Itch wandering through an American suburban neighbourhood and encountering people along the way, a highlight for me is the shirt being worn here, how he finds clothing covered in hot dogs is beyond me, it also makes my clothing feel ridiculously bland in comparison. Great track in what's already shaping up to be a fantastic solo career.

Losers And So We Shall Never Part

Video released June 7th 2013

Paul Mullen must be the busiest person in the music industry, he's currently a member of The Automatic, Bleach Blood and Young Legonaire among others, and now he's taken on another project, Losers. Taking pledges towards their debut album the band have already played Proud Camden to rave reviews, this little promo shows there's a brand new and unique sound to this band, and it sounds fantastic. This four and a half minute promo shows a bits and pieces from what we can expect from the album, it's heavy, it's aggressive in places, it's electric and it could prove highly successful. This has piqued my interest and I can't wait to hear more.

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - Stunner

Video released August 3rd 2013

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip are back and they've got harder beats, angrier lyrics and a far more confrontational delivery than that of any other album by the pair. The track follows the fallout of a broken relationship and the depression and inspiration that follows. With a video featuring people and themes of almost every Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip video to date you get the feeling that you're taking a journey through the tunnels of Pips mind, incidentally the video is filmed throughout the Camden Roundhouse which itself is quite tunnelly. There's reused lyrics, Scroobius Pip merch, Pip's lookalike Ricki Hall and numerous things to spot throughout the video. Great new track from two of the UK's most innovative and versatile performers.

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.

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.

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.

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.