CLICK HERE FOR DRUGS! Check out Formation’s latest interactive music video

In this tech-savvy society that we live in we are constantly bombarded by advertisements and information, to the extent where it becomes second nature to find some kind of sponsored ad whilst you’re surfing the net at some point. Something stood out in my social media feed today, and that was a curious link telling me to click there for drugs. Now I know what you’re thinking, but it didn’t look sketchy, I mean it was being sponsored by Facebook. Curiosity crept onto me before I could even rationalise my choice to click (I mean, there obviously weren’t going to be any drugs- the description of the video made it sound so broad, I knew that it was bound to be some artsy project). That little rational choice allowed me to discover this band ‘Formation’, who make music that is definitely worth tuning yourself into.

The video was a compilation of VCR taped videos that you had to click through to apparently get these so-called “drugs”. It showed various images that captured the mood and emotions, which crept in with drugs, it also obviously showed drugs. This concept of drugs extended itself in such a philosophical manner throughout this experience of clicking through all that VCR footage whilst the band’s song ‘Drugs’ played. You can call it whatever, but that’s smart advertising. This interactive music video could possibly broaden the horizons of marketing and evidently the making of music videos, especially for the millennial and upcoming generations that are raised on electronics.

The song shines a light on London’s cocaine scene, but it also shines a light on today’s consumer society, with drugs or no drugs. It’s a relevant choice of subject and of visual art, because we live in a society fuelled by drugs (including legal drugs), we’ve got a remedy for loads of things. The millennial generation does not only have the empowering desire to know it all and solve everything, but they also like to dig back to the old stuff and give it a revamp (thus the VCR footage). This can be observed in the rapidly emerging trends of the 2010s, all of which millennial parents may sit there wondering why their children are wearing their old high waist jeans, sweaters, sneakers, and dresses from when they were younger in the 80s-90s. Not only do we see this happening in fashion, we also see this happening in music, for example, vinyls have become largely popular again. Isn’t it strange how you’d expect such a tech-savvy generation like that of the millennial generation to advance in such things, but they don’t really seem to care for that stuff? Some may wonder it’s strange, but it is quite understandable. This music video somehow corresponds to that, and makes you wonder such things, that’s what makes it so relevant.

The song ‘Drugs’ by Formation is a pretty good song with a catchy chorus that features lyrics relevant to the individual, and a rhythm section that is bound to hook you onto the rest of the song. CLICK HERE FOR DRUGS… who knows, you might find just what you’ve been looking for all this time…

 

Check Out Upcoming RAPPER Lilgims

Although hip-hop is not my scene, I tend to make exceptions at times, even if rarely. Earlier this week I came across a dedicated young rapper whose lyrics grasped my attention instantaneously. This young rapper that goes by the name of Lilgims will impress you in his own right. The instrumentals through most tracks on his mixtape ‘Legends Are Made’ provides a good feel towards the lyrics, which I feel are what make this rapper stand out the most. You can see this quality of work in his song ‘Downfall of Society’, which manages to rub the right spot. You can hear sheer determination and dedication towards his music throughout each track, which communicates a clear passion and drive. If you want deeply moving and realistic lyrics then I suggest you take some time to check Lilgim’s Soundcloud and listen to his ‘Legends Are Made’ mixtape.

Culture Matters: Nü- Metal

The double-edged knife of nü- metal strikes! Is it even metal in the first place? The debate forever continues and its frustration increases. Korn’s frontman, Jonathan Davis, rejects the label of nü- metal ever being metal, whilst Slipknot reject the entire label simply because they believe they are heavy metal instead. The groove, the funk, the addition of a DJ, and the rapping among many other things certainly waters down the supposed ‘heaviness’ of the genre.

Whilst nü-metal can be considered one of the only ‘metal’ genres that has more females involved (e.g. Kittie, Otep, Coal Chamber), there remains certain contradictions, which are present in typical nü-metal lyrics. Although lyrics tend to speak of subjects like depression and angst, at times such lyrics may oppress females and objectify them (e.g. calling women ‘bitches’). This is vividly present in a lot of Limp Bizkit’s lyrics, a band who is known for their destructive and controversial attitudes. Just look at how Woodstock ’99 ended after a Limp Bizkit performance of their song ‘Break Stuff’, perhaps too much teenage angst and rebellion flowing through the air? It definitely does not justify the catastrophe of the festival that ended in rape, violence, destruction of property, and stampeding.

So what happened to nü-metal? IS IT EVEN METAL?!

Anvil: A Band That Never Gave Up

To make it you have to be in the right place at the right time, that’s a given. However, this took decades for Anvil. It was only recently, well into their 50s, when the legendary heavy metal Canadian band have happened to stumble onto the right place at the right time. That’s not to mention their ridiculously notable influences on tremendous bands such as Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax! How did they slip under the radar so rapidly?

It all started with two teenage boys; Steve “Lips” Kudlow and Robb Reiner, who made a pact to rock’n’roll. This over the years lead to them rocking out with high profile rock bands, but their time didn’t seem to come for them. A number of factors could’ve contributed to this unfortunate fate, but it just goes out to show how cruel and ignorant the music industry generally can be. In the 2008 rockumentary ‘Anvil! The Story of Anvil’ you can clearly witness the band’s frustration as Lips dedicatedly distributes Anvil’s latest music deeply hoping on the chance of a major label noticing them. To much of Anvil’s demise they are still not taken on, but at the end of the rockumentary they get offered a place at a notorious Japanese rock festival, which is a big step for the band already.

Up to now Anvil have recorded up to fifteen albums, and yet they still work in day-to-day jobs supporting their families whilst dreaming of how else they will tackle that rock’n’roll dream to make it a reality. Perhaps over the decades this could’ve been due to the band’s lack of management, the fact that it is them doing it by themselves. This has come with the worse, they’ve not been paid the amount of money that they deserve for their genius and innovative art of music. These guys have gone on to influence HUGE bands, and yet you don’t know who the hell they are? In the rockumentary they humbly tell us whilst sitting in an ice-cream parlour about this great song about the Spanish inquisition ‘Thumb Hang’  that they’ve had in mind for decades but never really got to record properly. You can now find that same song on their 2012 album ‘This Is Thirteen’, it’s a hell of a song.

In the 2010’s the band’s popularity has risen up, and finally they’ve been selling out shows, like how they should’ve been doing for a while now. In fact, they’ve also been getting paid for their efforts, like how they should’ve been getting paid for decades now.You simply cannot dismiss their dedication, they have been at it ever since their teens up until now as middle-aged men, and we haven’t taken any notice! They’re the artists that clearly do not do it for the money, nor for the fame, they do it for the passion. The most satisfying thing to watch as a huge lover of music is Lips’ smiling face as he checks his emails to find that the band have a place at a high profile rock festival, all after having bursted at the seams with anger when disgustingly selfish club managers refuse to pay the band.

There’s a lesson that you can learn from the ‘underdogs’ who CLEARLY should be above all those bands that they have influenced over the years. They were first, they planted the ideas on this tree of rock’n’roll that continues to grow. Go listen to all of their albums, ALL of them (and there’s PLENTY of them), and let their own music speak for themselves. That’s where you can hear real dedicated musicians who have continued to believe in their dreams even when the world rejected them. Their song ‘666’ from their 1982 album ‘Metal on Metal’ is an absolute legend, it is smartly constructed both lyrically and instrumentally. That’s the album where you can see how Anvil might’ve influence heavy metal giants such as Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Thank you, Anvil, for never giving up!

Black Sabbath Over The Years

Black Sabbath are popularly assumed as the fathers of heavy metal due to their innovative, loud and murky sound that eventually became an identity for them. Having started out in an industrial town such as Birmingham in the 60s, the boys didn’t have much of a future to aspire, however, the formation of the band took them away from that bleak future. It was their 1970 self-titled debut album that gave birth to the heavy metal that Sabbath are widely known for. They were since then recognised as innovators in music, and hit instant fame soon after.

The band’s success was inevitable, but their drug abuse rapidly broke them apart. Ozzy’s reckless behaviour lead to the rest of the band getting frustrated in 1979, and thus firing him. For the band it must’ve been a relief, but fans didn’t take the news very well. Ozzy was the main attraction for many Sabbath fans, and thus the band instantly needed to find some kind of new replacement. The band had managed to get a hold of Ronnie James Dio, a rock god in his own right. This lead to one of the band’s most highly regarded records of all time, ‘Heaven or Hell’. Dio’s vocals were sharp and high, enough to cling into those murky and loud riffs that Black Sabbath were known for. Certainly, Dio was the right guy to replace Ozzy, but that’s arguable for many Sabbath fans. This line-up only lasted for a certain amount of time, having Tony Iommi at some point leave to be with Jethro Hull. However, one thing lead to another, and fast-foward into ’13’, their latest album.

’13’, released in 2013, has been a very strong comeback for the band, something which in my opinion is historic. It totally wraps up the band’s career, as we are back again with Ozzy being the lead singer. It was a very mature record for the band to produce, because it wasn’t them stating that “God Is Dead”, like they typically would in their hay days,  instead it was them inquiring, “God Is Dead?”. Tony’s lyrics had clearly grown into something so philosophical and beautiful, and so did the rest of the band. It was clear that this album marked a milestone in the band’s career, especially if you were lucky enough to see this album surface up after having witnessed the band’s earlier days when they were still trying to make it. It was a bewildering experience for many of us to come across ’13’ at this time, because even though there was a significant reminiscence of Black Sabbath’s musical career, nobody expected the band to actually  get back together. Not only did Black Sabbath’s generation have a second chance in discover the band once again, but there was the opportunity for a new generation to discover and experience their music as well. Black Sabbath’s comeback album was received very warmly. Would it be a bit of a stretch to ask for another one?

Album Review: Daydream Nation- Sonic Youth

This was more or less the album that put Sonic Youth on the map, and thus it is perhaps one of their most influential. Looking back at the year 1988, which is when the album was released, there was this American indie culture arising and Sonic Youth was one of those bands that became successful in that scene along with bands such as Dinosaur Jr. and the Pixies. The album features a rather eccentric mix of things, but they work together so well. It’s quite grungy sometimes, other times it’s really loud and rather punk rock, sometimes it’s sensual or just droning (a bit like My Bloody Valentine or Dinosaur Jr.). This is what makes this album so brilliant, its eccentricity, there’s no space for getting tired of it.

The song “Teenage Riot” is featured on this album, and it is perhaps one of Sonic Youth’s most famous songs. It was this song that first got me into Sonic Youth as it captures a time period in people, which is their teenage past/present/future. Considering this achievement of it not only being a song but becoming an actual thing, truly makes this an unforgettable song. There’s a lot of experimenting going on with the instruments, however it’s impossible to miss that iconic riff that this song is notorious for. There’s also quite a bit of experimenting going on in “Hey Joni”, but throughout every song there’s those ‘teenage riot’ vibes kept, in other words, it’s all pretty damn loud and thus preciously holds a certain beautiful dosage of punk rock in each song. These vibes are always fuelled by Kim Gordon’s ‘big girl’ vocals (I look up to this woman!), on-going reckless riffs, and powerful drumming. Let’s also admire how original this album is, most of the songs on it are innovative and creative, “Kissability” is one of those songs. There’s a certain art kept between the guitar and the drums, and that builds a mood that Sonic Youth are so talented at creating. “Cross the Breeze” takes that heavy sound that the band has to the very next level, and it works so well in so many different ways.

This album is unforgettable in culture, as it represents big things such as freedom and youth. When an album is able to create a certain atmosphere for itself, then that’s when you know that it is worth noting. Sonic Youth have always been fairly influential to other musicians and bands, and it’s because they were part of that indie pioneering generation in America who were not afraid to be different.

What are all these clues around Manchester hinting us about The Stone Roses?

Yesterday morning in Manchester people woke up to find a bunch of posters of The Stone Roses’ iconic self- titled debut album scattered around Manchester. This really made people wonder why this was happening, and around the internet people started guessing why this was. Some believed that the band was reuniting, others thought that perhaps they were going to play a couple of shows, considering that the last time they played a show was in 2012 and then the band basically vanished.

After such speculations The Stone Roses have declared on the internet that they will be playing two shows in Manchester, and they will be headlining T in the Park in the summer.  Everyone was really happy to hear that, except those in the south wondering why The Stone Roses won’t play a show in London as well. Obviously the shows are going to be absolutely massive, so I suggest you should purchase your tickets as soon as possible before they get sold out!!!

Listen to the 1975’s brand new single “Love Me” and see what it’s all about!

It has been about two years since the English band have released their debut self-titled album, and the fans have been rather anxious for new material. Recently there’s been some suspense on social media that the band were going to break up, this was seen in a comic strip that they posted online and also because all their social media accounts had been deleted. This had eventually left their fans absolutely puzzled about the future of the 1975, however, this was untrue, because out of nowhere they released their single “Love Me”.

This is a bit of a risqué thing for the band to do, because they’ve really been appealing to the mainstream masses lately (they started out as an unknown indie band), so there’s a lot at stake here. It’s important to consider that the 1975 do not take themselves as being a pop band, and they even state this at the beginning of the music video for “Girls”, which is another popular hit song by them. This new song of theirs is very different from their usual stuff, it’s more funky and a bit of a mix and match as well, so it’s not as pop as we would expect it to be. The band have claimed on BBC Radio 1 that they want to be the ‘ambassadors of this generation’ as they criticize pop music nowadays for it lacking a lot of things. This new single of theirs is a great representation of this argument that they’ve put forward, and the music video for it screams it even louder.

In the music video Matt Healey is seen prancing around with a glass of champagne singing to the 2D cutouts of celebrities sarcastically. If they’re aiming to take the piss out of everyone in the pop industry then they’re really going for it now, it truly leaves the rest of us in utter suspense. Who knows if they’ve got the balls to take this further, it would be interesting to see.

Album Review: Lovelife- Lush (10/10)

Released in 1996, March 4th, being the bands final album due to later circumstances that caused them to split, Lovelife is a much underrated album. It is debatably one of the band’s best, as it has songs that are very likened by the masses. It is actually very different from their other albums, thus it stands out further in their discography. Their previous music was more droning and drenched in Shoegaze, which is what they are really known for. This album basically represents Lush going pop, despite it being released under an indie label such as 4AD. Their music was no longer as dark as it was before, instead in this album you are faced with catchy melodies and hooked onto rhythmic lyrics.

Basically, Lush were caught up in UK’s rise of Britpop at the time, so perhaps there might’ve been this pressure to sound a bit more pop. Therefore it is considerable that this album was part of this Britpop movement, with Lush being English themselves, and lets not forget that memorable duet that Miki did with Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker on this album. Whether this was intended to be a Britpop album or not, there is no exact answer, however there is no denying that this is a bittersweet album. Months after the album’s release, drummer Chris Acland killed himself. This brought an even more bitter end to the band’s career, despite them trying to carry on soon afterwards. It just didn’t seem to feel right. Therefore, we have this very last album to remind us of the greatness of Lush in their time. It is quite a timeless album, and needs to be celebrated more!

Songs such as “Single Girl” have captured my attention, as it is lyrically witty and entertaining along with its reasonably calming innocence represented in Miki Berenyi’s vocals, and also in the strumming of the guitars during each verse. “Lady Killers” became a hit as well, especially with the Britpop crowd back in the 90s. The song has this tamed rowdiness that is absolutely unavoidable, and again, just like in “Single Girl”  I admire how witty of a song it is. You simply cannot miss “Ciao!” featuring Jarvis Cocker from Pulp, there is so much originality in this song both instrumentally and lyrically. However, you can channel those 60s vibes from this one, as it’s kind of like a Nancy Sinatra-esqued song in some way. This was delightful for the Britpop masses as well, because of course you had Jarvis Cocker’s charming cynicism droning into the song, which fit so well with Miki’s. Another song that is unmissable in this album is “Olympia”, the album closes off with this song. In fact the very last line in the song is “And now time to switch off”, not predicting their break up (or maybe so…?). It is quite a beautiful song, it is soothing, melodic and the feminine vocals (Emma also had a beautiful voice) with the dream-pop-esqued guitar strumming completely put a decade of Shoegaze and Britpop into perspective. There is so much in this song to love.

Below you can have a listen and cherish this gem of an album.

This album definitely builds a lump in our throats and makes our eyes itchy, for it makes us remember the band and just how great they were. It is very agreeable that this album needs more recognition, and the cosmetics brand “Lush” aren’t doing it any favours!

Album Review: Mothers- Swim Deep (9/10)

Their much anticipated album is finally out, and it has been since early this month (Oct, 2nd). The front man of the band, Austin, claims that the title of the album is an ode to the creators of the universe, this being mothers. You can definitely see a huge change in the band since their debut album “Where The Heaven Are We?” back in 2013, back then their music was much more ‘hazey’, pop and less ‘acid-drenched’ as it is now. Mothers is bolder than any of their previous stuff, it really makes a statement for the band along with the name of the album.

We’re still able to witness Swim Deep’s ‘old’ sound in songs such as “Namaste” and “To My Brother” as they’ve still got that young hazey feel to them. We can see through the songs on this album that the band has grown and evolved, but they’re still as unique and as original as they initially were. “Heavenly Moment” is something very different from what we’ve heard the band do previously, it’s got a slower tempo, more solitude, but there’s less of that acid-drenched happy melody vibes that they tend to involve into their tunes. “Forever Spaceman” has that playful feel that “Grand Affection” also has, but they both make bold statements. Most of the songs on this album feel like a trip, like you’re basically on something, but in this sense you’re on their music. It’s something quite nice to experience. The lyrics are also really beautiful, for example, “One Great Song And I Could Change The World” has that emotional factor that only creates positivity for the listener, this also applies to “Hotel California”. They’re slow-tempo songs but then half way through they may have this build up of ‘dopamine’… and bam!

Mothers is really lengthy with 15 tracks, there’s so much to like in this album. We can’t miss “Fueiho Boogie”, it’s 8 and a half minutes long, and it’s basically a ‘boogie’  freak out! The band have explained that the song is based on the law in Japan that bans people from dancing in clubs in Japan. The song has got some unmissable feel-good vibes, definitely very uplifting. It is worth a listen, you won’t stop dancing once you start. You can see and feel the fun that the band had making this album when you listen to it.

Don’t forget to check out their music video for “Namaste”, it is absolutely hilarious!

The band are touring around, so everyone’s up for a good time with this one.