Album Review: Crystal Fighters - Cave Rave

Over two years on from the release of their groundbreaking debut, Star of Love, Crystal Fighters have finally returned with their magnificent second album, Cave Rave. The whole album encompasses every aspect of Crystal Fighters that you undoubtedly fell in love with the first time around; their unique ability to intertwine dance and electronica with acoustic sounds including their musical influences from the Basque country which continue to set them apart from any other band around.

Cave Rave is a meticulous and cleverly crafted work of art. It isn’t one of those albums where you end up skipping track 3 and 7 because they’re just not as good. Instead, this album is one of those rarities where you want to abuse the repeat button on each track. No one song sounds similar to the next but they are united by the overwhelming sense of euphoria that they exude. You might be thinking that that’s a bit over the top, but once you’ve listened to the album you’ll have an undeniable urge to cover yourself in glitter and dance like a member of an indigenous tribe into the sunset hugging everyone that you pass… trust me.

For their second album, Crystal Fighters have taken their signature sound and made it into something bigger and better. ‘Wave’ and ‘Separator’ have already been released online and have received great feedback for their immense dance vibes. ‘LA Calling’ has also recently appeared online and you don’t even have to be “bathed in sunlight” to appreciate the fact that the track just oozes summer. Zane Lowe labelled the first official single from the album, ‘You and I’ as one of his hottest records in the world and it certainly won’t be long until the whole album is the hottest record in the world. It’s not all about epic dance tracks though, things are stripped back in ‘Everywhere’ and ‘These Night’s’ showcasing the dreamlike harmonies. Along with ‘Love Natural’ which has a chorus that you’ll be singing for days, ‘Bridge of Bones’ is a stand out track with its beautiful and soulful melody and wonderful lyrics that will get stuck in your head – not that that’s anything to complain about!

This highly anticipated album certainly doesn’t disappoint. Cave Rave, which is filled with unique indie love songs, will without question be the soundtrack to your summer. Crystal Fighters will be spreading their euphoric vibes far and wide as they embark on the world tour stopping off to headline the festival republic stage at Reading and Leeds festival this summer. Their world tour comes to end on Saturday November 30 at The Institute for a very special gig right here in Birmingham, brought to you by Counteract Magazine – a night not to be missed. Grab your tickets here.

Cave Rave is released May 27 via Zirkulo/PIAS.

Published in Counteract Magazine here

Album review: The Strokes - Comedown Machine

After the release of their debut album This Is It all those years ago, The Strokes were widely labelled as the most influential indie band around. The New York five-piece set themselves the seeming impossible task of ever topping one of the greatest debut albums of all time. Any band with such critical acclaim for their debut comes across the inevitable hurdle with their following albums; continue with their trademark sound and be criticised for not developing, or reinvent themselves and be criticised for selling out as musicians.  The Strokes’ fifth album Comedown Machine finally hits the right mark between innovative and familiar ground.

One Way Trigger, the first single to be released from the upcoming album, shocked many with Julian Casablancas’ experimental falsetto and the 80s new wave inspired synths with an undeniable comparison to A-ha. Once the initial shock wear off however, the track’s genius can be appreciated. One Way Trigger is a perfect taster for the album as it really sets the tone. Indie icon Casablancas’ messy falsetto features on many of the tracks including the dramatic opener, Tap Out. Don’t be alarmed though as his sexy, husky and slightly distorted vocals are still a main feature, especially in the stand-out track 50/50 which actually sounds like a Strokes song, as does the second single to be taken from the album, All The Time. Everything slows down with 80s Comedown Machine and Chances which border on the atmospheric and offer a contrast to the faster, rockier tracks such as Welcome to Japan and Partners in Crime. Each track has something to offer and it’s easy to imagine each one being a hit single.

The whole album is brought together into one complete musical triumph by the funky rhythm that encompasses each track. This take on 80s synth-pop intertwined with The Strokes’ signature sound makes for a legendary piece of work.

With a nostalgic video for the second single All The Time and a tribute to their record label as the album artwork, everything points towards the end of the road for The Strokes, and if true then what a way to end their career as one of the best loved bands of their generation. Whether they make another album or not, The Strokes will no doubt continue to influence bands far and wide for many years to come.

Published in Brum Notes here

Jake Bugg | Jake Bugg album review

There’s nothing more refreshing than the sound of simple, pure, unrefined guitar folk-pop that can act as your saviour whilst you inevitably begin to drown in a sea of dance music and become lost in the overpowering waves of electronics that are now taking over the music scene. 18 year old rising star, Jake Bugg, has gone back to basics with his beautifully written songs accompanied by his much loved guitar. While his music is somewhat traditional, it still holds an invigorating essence of ‘new.’  Bugg has taken the media world by storm and is constantly being likened to Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Don Mclean, Donovan and the like. It’s clear who Jake’s influences are, but I’m conscious of the fact that all these comparisons are masking his obvious individuality and raw talent as an original artist.

High expectations have been placed upon the release of Jake’s self titled debut album after the huge success of his singles ‘Lightening Bolt,’ ‘Troubled Town,’ ‘Taste it’ and ‘Two fingers.’ Jake has been a feature on Radio 1 many times, including rightfully taking the title of Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record which has increased his fan base and inevitably the anticipation for the album.

Jake has fulfilled and exceeded the expectations. There’s so much more to him than the ‘teen-angst’ we hear on the singles. Tracks on the album are more delicate and beautiful than you could have imagined. Accompanied by his acoustic guitar alone, the pure vocals riddled with raw emotion on ‘Slide’ are sure to pull on your heartstrings. The equally emotionally raw build up to the beautiful harmonies in ‘Broken’ are sure to make to the hairs on your neck stand on end.

Bugg shows his versatility as all the well-written songs vary from theme to theme. On an album, it’s more than likely that you’ll have the odd song or two that you can happily skip past when you've got in on shuffle. On this album, there aren’t any of those. From the heart wrenching love song of ‘Someplace’ to the 50’s influenced sound effects in ‘Fire’ to the upbeat country style of ‘Simple As This,’ there isn’t one song that you won’t instantly fall in love with.

His shockingly good talent in his song writing shows that a wise and knowledgeable head sits on his young shoulders. For an 18 year old lad, it’s astonishing how honest his lyrics are and I can’t help but feel that he must have been through more than his fair share of shit; he’s definitely ‘Seen It All!’ ‘Seen it All’ is seemingly influenced by Clifton; the council estate that he’s grown up in, in Nottingham. He talks about stabbings at a house party that he crashed after he’d taken a pill ‘or maybe two.’

‘Two fingers’ tells us of his memories with his friends in Clifton like skinning up a ‘fat one’ and hiding from the ‘feds’ while he expresses his general ‘fuck it’ attitude.

Jake says himself in Troubled Town, ‘If I talk of getting out, I only hear the laughter loud. It's got an ugly echo.’ I wonder who’s laughing now, now that Bugg has escaped ‘speed bump city’ and broken free into the big wide world! If this is what he can produce at the age of 18, I look forward to whatever this talented Nottingham teen produces next.

Best songs: Broken, Seen it All

Album rating: 9/10

The album will be available for purchase and download on 15^th October

Jake Bugg - Album pre-release

I am officially the luckiest girl in the world.

After a few chats with Jake Bugg's press, I was asked if I wanted to review his album; of course, I said yes! I got this bundle in the post today and just couldn't stop smiling. I feel like a proper journalist!

I can honestly say that this is one of the best albums I have ever listened to; the mere fact that it's been on repeat all day is enough to prove that. I can't wait to get something written and published!

I'm even more excited for the gig in November now! All hail Jake Bugg.