You guys seemed to like my last music post so here’s 5 great albums by bands that I’ve discovered over the last six months…
Starting off with a group which almost certainly wouldn’t have attained the popularity that they have done without the release of this album in July 2015, we have the album ‘Currents’ by the Australian musical project Tame Impala. This album shifted the emphasis of Tame Impala’s music from psychadelic-rock to a more varied mix of pyschadelic-pop and more dance-orientated tracks with heavier usage of synthesisers and less guitar work. I had heard the songs ‘Lost in Yesterday’ and ‘The Less I Know The Better’ before and it was actually the latter track which led me to look into Tame Impala in the first place, in fact it remains one of my favourite songs. While the album initially seems rather relaxed or laidback – the sort of music you might want on listless afternoons or while focussing on work, when listened to carefully the synths evoke a feeling of melancholy which the lyrics echo lending the album an underlying nostalgic feel.
Lime Cordial are an indie pop band from Australia (like Tame Impala) which are rapidly growing in popularity, going from festivals to the forefront of sold-out shows. ’14 Steps To A Better You’ is their second studio album and it includes 14 songs (including my favourite – Inappropriate Behaviour and their No.1 – Robbery) supposedly containing 14 different messages about life, the universe and everything. While I would point out that the messages are open to interpretation, I found that their songs are a refreshing change from the normal music I listen to, they have a more beachy feel and lack the frantic and tiring energy of bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers or Royal Blood. Sometimes you need a break.
‘Dusk’ is an interesting case because I only liked two of the songs when I first listened to the album sevenish years ago. This might be explained by the extremely odd opening track which involves 3 minutes 10 seconds of Matt Johnson rambling about how much he hates his life while overly enthusiastic canned laughter plays over the top. I’ve now learned to appreciate this track and it is followed by what is in my opinion one of the best The The songs – ‘Love Is Stronger Than Death’ – a heartbreaking track that’s filled with grief (and a harmonica solo). The album fails to lose momentum following up with ‘Dogs of Lust,’ ‘Sodium Light Baby,’ and ‘Lonely Planet’ as a fitting end to an album which is rather strange but well worth listening to.
I’ve always liked ‘Gold On The Ceiling,’ but the track by the same name as this album – Turn Blue – is now my favourite song by The Black Keys (followed closely by Fever). The album as a whole is a real turning point for the group where they properly separate themselves from other bands like The White Stripes by blending their typical rock genre with a taste of blues – in other words, they Turn Blue. The album still retains the minimalism of their earlier records but each song is a little richer, with more depth and the album displays greater scope than some of their previous works – I would recommend giving them a listen…
I like loud music. Really loud music. Royal Blood are loud, in fact a writer at the British music magazine said that they are “here to convince everyone in their path that loud is good”. I remember listening to an advert for their debut album a while ago and I dismissed it as modern rock – as it that were a bad thing – it took a friend putting Come On Over on full volume before I realised that I was a bit late to the party. Interestingly the album itself was mostly recorded in one take (without the use of samples) which helped to produce a more natural sound and gave full voice to the vocals and base. I would list my favourite songs, however I like the whole album so it would do it an injustice to say that I preferred a particular track… see for yourself!
I know it’s been a while since my last post but I’ve been busy over the last month preparing for school and university applications – I aim to post once a week from now on so if you’d like to be notified when I post next, be sure to subscribe below!
Patrick Kyak 