Throwback Thursday - You Me At Six - Take Off Your Colours

24th September 2015

For this week's Throwback Thursday review, we are going back to October 2008. I was young and still at college, and You Me at Six had just released their debut album Take Off Your Colours. I remember being at a huge house party in Caversham Heights, Reading, and someone claiming that some of the band members had rocked up to join the party, and I had though "wow, that's pretty cool, think I've got tickets to their Oxford show in a few weeks" but had made no effort to see if this claim was fact or fiction, not knowing how huge You Me at Six would later go on to become, all because of this album. With regards to the Oxford show, I couldn't tell you now who supported, but I do remember You Me at Six absolutely killing their set, with the crowd singing along to every song despite Take Off Your Colours only being out for a few weeks. However, if other towns were like the one I went to college in, in October 2008 this was the only record anybody was listening too.

Take Off Your Colours opens up with the fantastic 'The Truth is a Terrible Thing' which held lyrics everyone had scrawled across Facebook and MySpace (yep, that was still going strong back then). The guitar intro alone is enough to draw you in and get you hooked on every verse, with the ending setting the scene nicely for the second track 'Gossip', and for the rest of the album, with front man Josh Franceschi singing the song title over a heavy drum and guitar line.

We are going to skip ahead a few songs now to track four 'Jealous Minds Think Alike.' Opening up heavier than most of the other songs, everyone in college seemed to claim this to be their favourite song, and the chorus started to feature on several people's arms in the forms of tattoos. It also seemed to be played at every house party in every town, and I would be lying if i said I didn't sneak over to the speakers to put it on on more than one occassion!

Now I am not saying 'Save It For The Bedroom' isn't a good song, it really is an excellent track which had everything you would want in it, but it felt that every, and I mean EVERY, pop-punk band starting up in the Reading area were doing cover versions. Fair enough, some were extremely good, but most of the time it was a dreadful experience watching people trying to hit notes as Josh does on this song. Every other weekend it was being played in Reading's Face Bar, and, sadly, this lead to the song being ruined for me and many others at the time. Thankfully though, time heals all wounds, and I can happily feel the joy this song brought the first time I heard it.

"If it hurts this much, then it must be love" opens up the beautifully acoustic track 'Always Attract' which fast became  the anthem for every relationship facing difficulties, as well as for all the people who were recently single. It also has guest vocals from Josh's sister Elissa Franceschi, who's voice is simply amazing, and the sibling duet gives this album a track that tugs on the heartstrings.

Take Off Your Colours comes to a close with 'The Rumour,' one of the greatest songs You Me At Six have made to date. The ending to the song kicks in around the two minute forty mark, about half way through the song itself, and it still gives me shivers, with its build up from soft and calm, to full on power. Words don't do this song any justice, but, simply put, you will not be able to listen to it just the one time. It's a song that needs to be put on repeat a few times before going back to the start of the album and repeating the process again.

It is amazing how far You Me At Six have come in the seven years since Take Off Your Colours was released, from small venues on the release tour, to now playing sold out shows at Wembley. They have since released three more studio albums, equally as good as each other, but there hasn't been many albums around from any band that can still give me goosebumps seven years on like Take Off Your Colours does.

5/5

Tracks to check out:

- "Jealous Minds Think Alike"

- "Take Off Your Colours"

- "You've Made Your Bed (So Sleep In It)"

- "The Rumour"

Sam Muckley 

@s_muckley

Throwback Thursday - Oasis (What's The Story) Morning Glory

Manchester is a huge city, divided into various towns and boroughs; led by different councils, split between football teams at the highest and lowest level, and home to various historic events and people. We boast one of the best schools of learning outside Oxford and Cambridge, and even produced the great Alan Turing (if you don’t know him, google him, you owe him that). However, one thing we all boast about the most is our music scene. You’ll never convince a true Manc that we aren’t responsible for some of the best bands, clubs and record labels. Look at the likes of The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division, Happy Mondays and The Charlatans and you’ve already got a playlist worthy of any road trip. The nineties also saw Manchester produce one of my favourite bands of all time; Oasis. Originally formed by a bunch of schoolmates, lead singer Liam Gallagher’s brother Noel returned from working for The Inspiral Carptets to join up, and four albums were produced between 1994 and 1998 in a successful period for the band. The album I’ve opted for this week is full of absolute tunes, and I guarantee you only need to hear the opening 5 seconds and you yell “TUUUNNNNEEEE!” and start blaring it out clutching onto your can of Carling (just me? I’m ok with it); it is, of course, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory.

Starting off with ‘Hello’ (genius), Noel has a line, “it’s good to be back” and, based on this track, we were all happy to have them back (sidenote, 5/6 year old me loved listening to this because Liam swore! HE SWORE!). Then we fly into ‘Roll With It’, which starts off with a proper strum on the guitar, making you fully aware that about to hear heaven through your stereo. Third on the album, and bane of my life at university, is cult classic ‘Wonderwall.’ Now, don’t get me wrong, I used to adore this tune, but it has been over played to the max, like, I’m talking ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ levels (IT’S NOT JOY DIVISION’S ONLY TRACK); every open mic night, every house party where there happens to be a guitar lying around, every jamming session and every lad who is learning to play, all have this quote in common: “anyway, here’s Wonderwall.” I’ve managed to avoid it for a while, mostly by leaving our SU abruptly, or staring at the bloke with a guitar as he notices my Man City top and reassesses the situation. That is, until I visited Sam down south and suddenly an entire bar in Henley are singing it to me, with a dedication from the artist for good measure! Oh and yes, I joined in. I blame the tequila.

Track four is my dad’s favourite song, and the track I phoned him during at Noel’s gig a couple of years back, ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger.’ Strangely, this is the only time on the album where Noel takes centre stage, and he doesn’t disappoint. With his Beatles inspired video and music, this is definitely one to belt out around midnight at your cousins wedding.  Skipping ahead a little, we have ‘Some Might Say’, a track us Blues like to relate to, culminating in a flag that travels to games bearing the lyrics “some might say we will find a brighter day” and we finally have done! ‘Cast No Shadow’ and ‘She’s Electric’ are in complete contrast with each other, but both loved by the fans. ‘Morning Glory’ is probably my favourite track from the album; the start up to it still gives me goosebumps. It’s my alarm tone and my darts walk-on music so that should tell you how much I love it. The album is beautifully rounded off by the fantastic ‘Champagne Supernova’, which makes no sense when written down, but makes perfect sense to the millions of people who have referenced it on a night out. Noel even did an interview where he questioned his own lyric saying, “how can you slowly walk down the hall faster than a cannonball?” Well I have no idea Mr G, but I’m certainly glad you thought it possible at one point. Noel’s guitar solo is so beautiful it’s haunting (someone once told me it made them wee! I doubt she was being literal, but it’s certainly a glowing review), and it certainly ends this truly brilliant album on a well deserved high note.

6 out of 5 from me!

Tracks to check out:

-ALL THE TRACKS!

Mike Bray x

@SmilerBray180

Bring Me The Horizon - That's The Spirit

14th September 2015

On the 11th of this month, Bring Me The Horizon released their fifth studio album That's the Spirit, and my initial reaction was "this is unbelievable!" Three days of constant listening later and that opinion has yet to be changed. However, Bring Me The Horizon have gone in a slightly different direction with this album, with the addition of more electro and trance sounds, but still maintaining the heavy riffs and aggressive vocals of the Bring Me The Horizon of old.

The album starts up with the fantastic 'Doomed,' which I played to a friend of mine who is not into the hardcore scene. His thoughts were that, at the start, it sounded similar to Justin Bieber. Now take this how you will, but I have to agree with him! It may seem like a backhanded compliment, but realistically it shows the true levels of singing talent that Oli Sykes has to offer, switching with ease from beautifully melodic to full of fire, and this is a theme that continues throughout That's the Spirit.

Next up on the album is a string of three singles released during the run up to That's the Spirit, starting with 'Happy Song' which features cheerleader chants before erupting into classic Bring Me The Horizon that we know and love from Sempiternal. This is followed by the insane 'Throne,' giving hardcore an injection of electro music that just works brilliantly. Once again, this is a golden Bring Me The Horizon track to get you on your feet and moving, full of energy with a fantastic drop which will guarantee one hell of a mosh pit at live performances.

Halfway through That's the Spirit, we are treated, again, to the new Bring Me The Horizon sound that was introduced at the start with 'Doomed,' this time with the unusually calm 'Follow You' which is once again a showcase of Sykes' vocal talents, as well as featuring some of the more heartfelt lyrics of the album so far. The strange fusion of genres continues, with the next song 'What You Need' sounding like an indie-pop song, yet still holding its integrity as a heavy rock hit thanks to the down tuned guitars and an awesome riff towards the end.

For the people who got their hands on the deluxe version of Sempiternal, 8th track 'Run' is somewhat of a mix of 'Join the Club' and 'Deathbeds.' Fuelled full of emotion and power, it has the ability to be a tearjerker, but at the same time has enough structure to it to move stadiums. There is something brilliant behind 'Run;' something that is difficult to put a finger on, but it should quite easily feature on anybody's "best of..." compilation. Why it wasn't released as a single too is still a bit of a mystery, as it is one of the best songs on the whole album.

We now move on to the closing stages of That's the Spirit and, with it, to my favourite song of the record: 'Blasphemy.' It has everything a great Bring Me The Horizon song should have, from harsh to melodic vocals, calm sections to outright headbang heavy ones, and throughout the track there's a riff that is both oddly uplifting and melancholic at the same time. A masterpiece of a song that has all the qualities to silence any skeptics of the album.

As 'Blasphemy' fades away, That's the Spirit could have easily ended in a silencing grace. However, there is one last song, and with 'Oh No' we are brought back to the new Bring Me The Horizon direction that features throughout the album. The music is upbeat, has a summer feel to it, and could easily find its way on to a DJ's set list at a club night, but then the lyrics juxtapose all of this brilliantly with their downcast tone. It all fits together perfectly, even if it does confuse the emotions.

I can see why older Bring Me The Horizon fans might feel slightly dissatisfied with That's the Spirit as it is a very different album to 2006's Count Your Blessings. However, music is constantly changing with the times, and Bring Me The Horizon have matured as a band a great deal in the nine years since Count Your Blessings, and that is clearly evident with That's the Spirit. I for one one am already in love with this album; it has got everything any good album should have, and a hell of a lot more! 

5/5

Track to check out:

- "Throne"

- "Run"

- "Blasphemy"

Sam Muckley

@s_muckley 

The Hi There Tour - Best Years//WSTR - 10/9/15

12th September 2015

Thursday night, I found myself upstairs above The Garage venue in Islington, waiting for the London stint of the 'Hi There Tour' to begin. It was small, hot, and dark, but it was the perfect size to see two bands I have been raving about for weeks; Best Years and WSTR.

First on to start the night was Larkhill, and before Thursday I had my reservations about this band, having only heard one of their songs prior to the night. However, these reservations quickly disappeared as soon as they started playing. They jumped into life for the small crowd that had started to gather with a mix of songs that were hard to place into any specific genre. One minute it was pure punk at its finest, next it was pop-punk, and every now and then came a sense of jazz guitar work. It was interesting to say the least, but more importantly, it set the tone for what was to be a fantastic night out. 3/5

The second act of the night were Homebound, and they brought their A game straight from the off, as they tried to encourage the crowd to get involved and warmed up for the headliners. Sadly though, this was a difficult crowd who seemed uninterested in moving around, and that was a real shame as Homebound played a killer set that could easily see them headline their own tour in the not so distant future, even with a minor technical hiccup that was no fault of theirs. 3/5

The brilliant Best Years entered onto the stage next, and this time the crowd did as they were told, moving a lot closer to the action. It was loud, there were people (attempting) to crowd surf, and a couple of fans even got to help out with the chorus on a few songs. It was starting to look like Best Years were bringing this quiet crowd out of their shell. Then they started playing a cover of Good Charlotte's 'The Anthem' and it is safe to say EVERYONE in the room sang along, it was an incredible thing to see from a crowd that had been relatively static until this point. 4/5

Finally it was time for the headline act, and there was definitely a buzz of anticipation waiting for WSTR. When they came onto the stage, they brought with them a sea of beach balls (seriously, it was like they had raided Argos before the show), which really set the tone for what was going to be an extremely fun and exciting end to the show. As WSTR started to play, the pit opened up. However, this was no ordinary pit! No moshing occurred, the space was cleared for some football antics involving the beach balls! As the show carried on, my friend took a beach ball to the back of her head, earning herself a shout out from the band, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the events unfolding in front of them. Sadly though, after playing an amazing set, the show had come to an end, but I could have easily watched WSTR play through the whole gig again. They put on an unbelievable performance, and I look forward to their next outing in London, which I hope comes a lot sooner than later. 5/5

Sam Muckley

@s_muckley

Thowback Thursday - Blink-182 - Greatest Hits

10th September 2015

Of course Blink-182 had to be covered for a Throwback Thursday review, but how could one album be picked over any of the others? With all of Blink's albums filled to the brim with greatness, we'll rewind back to 2005 and their Greatest Hits, a collection of the cream of the crop. As the name suggests, the greatest hits that Blink had to offer!

In February of 2005, Blink-182 had announced an "indefinite hiatus." In other words, they broke up, and the pop-punk world mourned for what could have been an end to an era. Then, in October of the same year, we were treated by the good folks over at Geffen Records to the swansong that was Greatest Hits. Back to back hit, placed in a perfect order, opening up with the amazing 'Carousel' (Cheshire Cat version though, not Buddha), and ending with (UK Version) a BBC1 session of 'Go', and seeing as this could have been the last album Blink released (at the time the tension between the Barker-Hoppus camp and the DeLonge one were similar to the Cold War), it was completely justifiable to listen to Greatest Hits on repeat, night and day, all week long. There may have been other albums released in the following months, but they were OTHER bands. They weren't Blink, and that's all that mattered at the time.

For me, personally, 2005 was a strange year. I'd turned 13 and so had begun the emotional trauma that was the teenage years of secondary school. As well as this, 2005 was also the year my parents divorced, followed by the arguments that this brings to any household. Blink-182 and their Greatest Hits was the perfect remedy, the ideal medicine for a teenager at this time, dotted with tracks covering all the bases that any teenager has to deal with, for anyone that feels like an outsider. There was always a Blink song for it.

Jumping forward a few months now to May 2006, and Tom DeLonge's new band Angels & Airwaves released their debut album We Don't Need to Whisper, and, I think I speak for a lot of people here, I was going to boycott this album, this band. With the feud between Barker-Hoppus and DeLonge starting to feel like on its own, this felt like the new equivalent of meeting your dad's new girlfriend, time to crank the volume of Greatest Hits up a little louder. Looking back, it seems silly to boycott Angels & Airwaves for so long, they were and still are an amazing band! But hey, that's teenagers for you!

Obviously years later Blink-182 did reunite for 2011's Neighborhoods, bringing with it a maturity to the band, a trait DeLonge seemed to have brought with him from Angels & Airwaves, before the inevitable second break up. In that time between break up and reconcile however, it was all Greatest Hits (of course the other albums feature too, how could they not!). Other bands made appearances, and some questionable genre choices were made, but none of them had anything on Blink.

It's now 2015 and almost exactly 10 years have past since Greatest Hits came out. The music scene has changed a lot; pop-punk has matured as a genre with more serious lyrics involved, no more songs about receiving blow jobs or the neighbour Bob doing the dirty with a dog. Yes, it has changed a lot in 10 years, but at the same time it hasn't. Blink still speaks to a lot of people, they never really left our hearts, and Greatest Hits still has a permanent home in my car's CD player. 

5/5

Tracks to check out:

It's Blink-182, go check out every song!

Sam Muckley

@s_muckley

Man Overboard - Heavy Love

9th September 2015

Man Overboard have been around for a few years now, and Heavy Love is the New Jersey, emo-pop quintet's latest addition to the genre, taking us back to how the emo scene use to be, before all the black guy-liner and eye-covering hair (think Death Cab for Cutie, or really any band 'The O.C's Seth Cohen was in to). Heavy Love is no exception to this, and it comes as somewhat of a refreshing taste away from modern emo bands who mostly seem to be trying to emulate kings of the scene Fall Out Boy or My Chemical Romance. The album comes across as both calm, even peaceful, but at the same time full of life, and, for some reason, gives me the urge to go on a long, lonesome drive through Canada's forests or along the Californian seafront. Don't get me wrong though, there is still plenty of songs on this record to wave that long hair around in a mosh pit to, with third track 'Reality Check' giving a subtle hint towards what Man Overboard might be like if they had gone for a full pop-punk sound instead, 'Cliffhanger' has a small nod towards screamo with its backing vocals, and 'Invisible' provides the shout-your-heart-out sing-along lyrics every emo band worth their salt needs on an album. 

I really can not put my finger on Heavy Love. I like it, and I would encourage anyone to go buy it. But at the same time, if I were to see it played live, it would have to be a last day of the festival, opening up the main stage kind of deal; sitting down in a field nursing a hangover with a beer type of event.

3/5
Tracks to check out:

- "Borderline"

- "Reality Check"

- "The Note"

- "Invisible"

Sam Muckley

@s_muckley

Homebound - Permanence

8th September 2015

Hailing from Farnham, Surrey, Homebound have been gracing the scene for a couple of years now, and released their EP Permanence in July of this year via Failure by Design Records, and it is truly exceptional! Everything on this EP just fits together perfectly; all the instruments and vocals compliment each other flawlessly, and at no point does anything feel out of place, with all the tracks eloquently rolling into the next, giving a real sense of easy listening. Some critics may want to argue that the vocals sound strained and Americanised, but, in my opinion at least, this works well for Homebound, giving Permanence something extra, more edge. The lyrics on each and every song are also a showcase in writing talent from this relatively new band, treating us to what is (hopefully) a great deal more to come in the near future.

4/5

Tracks to check out:

- "Grounded"

- "Cave In"

Sam Muckley

@s_muckley

Sleepy Eyes - Empty Shells & Plastic Smiles

4th September 2015

Chesterfield based Sleepy Eyes may have released their debut EP Empty Shells & Plastic Smiles back in November 2014, but they are still a band to get excited about! For a relatively new band, this EP comes across as a well rehearsed piece, full of thought and practice. However, there is still a lot of work yet to be done in the recording studio, as sometimes it feels like the vocals, although good, drown out most of the rest of the band, with the exception of the bass drum, which takes over during the song "Thanks For Everything." That being said, all is made up for quickly in the third track "It's Always Sunny In Surrey," a sadder song than the previous two, the occasional addition of harsher backing vocals during the chorus gives this particular song a real boost, setting it up as the uncontested best track of the whole album. Sadly, the next song up "Le Douche" (also released as a single with accompanying music video) goes in the opposite direction, with the vocals seeming very strained, and, despite being 3minutes 43seconds long, comes across as very repetitive, drawing the track out. However, a redeeming feature is a quasi-breakdown (yes, pop-punk has breakdowns too sometimes) towards the end. Empty Shells & Plastic Smiles is rounded off brilliantly though, with the final track, which shares its name with the EP, sounding like the beautiful love child of Funeral for a Friend and Brand New. The gang vocals halfway through really gives it a sense of emo pop-punk of old, before bursting into a heavy ending section to conclude an interesting journey through this EP.

3/5

Tracks to check out:

- "It's Always Sunny In Surrey"
- "Empty Shells & Plastic Smiles"

(Both of these tracks make the EP worth a listen)

Sam Muckley
@s_muckley

The Wonder Years - No Closer To Heaven

4th September 2015

This sextet band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania may have only released The Greatest Generation two years ago, but it has felt like an eternity waiting to find out what else was in store for the fans; and The Wonder Years have not disappointed with No Closer to Heaven. The album starts off with the calm "Brother &," gradually building up before linking into "Cardinals," which quickly sets off the album with The Wonder Years usual pent up, pop-punk rage, brilliantly balanced with background gang vocals. Next up, we move on to the much calmer "A Song For Patsy Cline" harking back to the classic "I've Given You All" (from 2011's Suburbia I've Given You All And Now I'm Nothing), except with more fire injected into it courtesy of electric guitars and heavy drum beats. We burst back in to classic, high speed pop-punk with "I Don't Like Who I Was Then" as we witness the full range of Dan 'Soupy' Campbell's incredible vocal talents, as Campbell shouts his way through a chorus of 'If I can manage not to fuck this up,' before the album takes a short break with a much more serene feel provided by "Cigarettes & Saints." The words 'Put out the light' now come blaring out of the stereo as we get another dose of untreated pop-punk genius as "The Bluest Things On Earth" once again leaves us astounded with how much energy The Wonder Years can put through just one track, with amazing lyrics that could have easily been turned into an acoustic song instead. We are next treated to choir harmonics to kick start "A Song For Ernest Hemingway" into life with typical The Wonder Years variation throughout, ranging from harsh to soft stages, with well placed place gang vocals also making appearances. No Closer to Heaven continues relentlessly with "Thanks For The Ride," a beautifully written tribute to a friend of the band who sadly passed on after a car crash, and it is delivered perfectly, bringing comfort to anyone who has been in a similar situation. "Stained Glass Ceilings" is one of those tracks that could be placed anywhere on an album, and it would just feel right. It builds up seamlessly well, beginning soft and slow, but then the pace picks up, and we are brought into a heavier middle section, whilst still maintaining a sincere lyrical structure, before reaching the closing stages, with a contribution of more aggressive vocals adding a touch of hardcore to the record. We have moved back into pop-punk territory with "I Wanted So Badly To Be Brave" with its rapid guitar sections, even more lyrics to emotionally move you, a well positioned tranquil section, before a build up of palm-muted chords leading up to the climactic ending. As if our heart strings have not been tugged at enough already though, we now move into "You In January" which could be considered  somewhat of a love song in The Wonder Years fashion as Campbell proclaims 'you were the one thing I got right.' After this, we are now into the final stages of this magnificent record, and there is a sense of leaving the best until the last with "Palm Reader" which comes across heavier than usual for a pop-punk act. Once again, the lyrics and vocals are superb along with the rest of the album, however, the guitar pieces throughout this track add an unprecedented amount of weight, pushing it forward, possibly making it the best song on the whole album (if not, certainly in the top three). Of course, it would not be a The Wonder Years record if there was not a full acoustic song, and closing track "No Closer To Heaven" does not disappoint on this tradition, rounding off the album with a sheer touch of class. No Closer to Heaven is a real contender, in my opinion, for album of the year so far. It has everything you could ask for, and The Wonder Years have truly out done themselves once again. The bluest things on Earth may not know sh*t about the blues, but The Wonder Years certainly know a thing or two about making an exceptional album.

5/5

Tracks to check out:

- "Cardinals"

- "The Bluest Things On Earth"
- "Palm Reader"

Sam Muckley

@s_muckley

AS IT IS - Never Happy, Ever After

1st September 2015

Released earlier this year (April 2015), Never Happy, Ever After is definitely an album that quickly grows on you. The catchy chords and beautiful vocals that American born Patty Walters provides slowly brings you in for more helpings of this emo infused pop-punk record by the Brighton based band. On the first listen through, it may seem like another generic band that made the alternative scene 5-10years ago, but after a few more runs, its something so much more than that. AS IT IS may have heavily emo inspired lyrics, but they are so well written and thought through, seamlessly linking with the rest of the music featuring on each track, with the drums adding a touch of hardcore to each track. Song 5 off of Never Happy, Ever After "Dial Tones" is by far the best track of the bunch with the fantastic vocals sending you on a roller coaster ride of emotions; one minute 2-stepping your heart out; next, throwing a lighter into the air from side to side; and finally, grabbing a random stranger in the crowd to sing a long until your voice is hoarse with (and I challenge anyone to fight the urge to join in singing "all we ever share are dial tones"). "Concrete" is another song that will make you want to get up and shake a leg like tomorrow will never come, once again largely due to some amazing guitar work, but the backing vocals from Benjamin Biss has a HUGE influence over this track. Altogether, Never Happy, Ever After has the perfect amount of crowd pleasing tracks to mosh away life's problems, venue sized sing-alongs, and chilled acoustic songs for when you are alone and need some 'me' time. Overall, a good effort for a first full length album, but hopefully AS IT IS have got a lot more to give in the future, and I look forward to seeing what is next to come from them.

3/5
Tracks to check out:

- "Speak Soft"
- "Cheap Shots & Setbacks"
- "Dial Tones"
- "Concrete"

Sam Muckley
@s_muckley

WSTR - SKRWD

1st September 2015

The Liverpool based pop-punkers WSTR release their debut EP SKRWD on the 4th September, and at a first glance, ITS INCREDIBLE! With catchy lyrics and riffs to get you hooked on the first round of listening, WSTR seem to have got themselves off to a flying start here, even sticking to the old ways of pop-punk veterans such as blink-182, they even have entertaining and humorous music videos to accompany the two leading tracks. "Fair Weather" is easily the soundtrack to any 20-something's life, as it slowly wastes away into "proper" adult life, as well as featuring what is simply one of the greatest lines heard, not just on the EP, but for quite some time; "my friends are dicks but I would never have it any other way." The third track to feature on the amazing SKRWD EP is the more heartfelt, but just as energetic, "Graveyard Shift" which will, as the title suggests, speak to anyone that has found themselves stuck in a dead end and meaningless job, despite still having a healthy amount of teenage angst yet to shift. SKRWD may only be 6 tracks long, but its 6 of the very best, and WSTR are a band that surely must have a lot more to give to the music scene! Make sure you catch them on the "Hi There" tour with Best Years this month at all costs.

5/5

Tracks to check out:
- "Fair Weather"

- "Brainsick"

Sam Muckley

@s_muckley

David Hall Cain - Eyes Wide Open EP

Now, I’ve known David since I was about 6/7 years old, so I was a little anxious about reviewing him, just in case I had to be brutal; I had nothing to fear. Eyes Wide Open is a nice, chilled EP consisting of four tracks that are really easy on the ears. What we basically have here is David involved in his own jamming session, and it works beautifully. It’s the sort of EP you’ll play on a Sunday afternoon when you need your music fix, but you definitely aren’t prepared for anything too heavy. It’s almost like you’re sat in the room together and he’s serenading you. Anyway, enough soppy stuff, get it listened to, and definitely keep an eye on him for more!

5/5

Tracks to check out

-“Time To Kill”

Mike

@SmilerBray180

Fightstar - Animal (Single)

1st September 2015

Fightstar's latest edition to their already massive roster of mosh pit starting tracks, "Animals" starts off with a calm back drop of drum beats before front man Charlie Simpson's voice explodes into action, reminding us all of what we have been missing out on these past 5 years. Perfectly synchronising, once again, heavy screamo vocals with melodic ones, it takes this fan back to 2007's extremely powerful "Deathcar." Backed with a sprinkling of synths, adding to the power unleashed in this single before Simpson bellows out the chorus; "kill me now, becasue I'm an animal!" It looks like Fightstar could be on to another winner in the build up to up coming tour and album Behind the Devil's Back (scheduled for release on the 16th October 2015), depite, from first glance of the track listing, "Animal" will not be making an appearance. Unless there is some last minute changes with the track listing, which is highly doubtful this late on, it is a real shame that "Animal" fails to make its way on to the album, but if the songs that do feature on the aforementioned record are nearly half as good as this single, Fightstar fans are going to be in for a real treat! 

4/5

Sam Muckley

@s_muckley

Throwback Thursday - Simple Plan

Our first TBT takes me back to my school days, when I was just so misunderstood, and the entire world was against me. About the time I hit 13, I needed music to speak to me, and only one band delivered with their debut album: Simple Plan with ‘NO PADS, NO HELMETS…JUST BALLS’. Easily one of Canada’s most successful pop-punk exports, these boys seemed to capture the heart of every moody teenager; be it the girls who hugged their pillow wondering why the boy they ‘loved’ so much wouldn’t speak to them, or the lads who couldn’t understand why their voice had to change to a ridiculous pitch just when they started to notice how awesome/devastating girls could be. Merely looking at the titles of some of the songs from the album will tell you exactly why my teenage self just hit repeat and threw himself on the bed, with ‘I’d Do Anything’, ‘I’m Just A Kid’ and ‘Perfect’ just screaming “I HATE EVERYONE” for the world to hear (oh we all did it, don’t judge me!).

‘I’d Do Anything’ kicks the album off, and why shouldn’t it? It has Mark Hoppus (of Blink 182 fame, for those living under rocks during the early 2000’s) providing some guest vocals! For me, it perfectly captures the young love phase we all go through, from wanting to run away, to literally wanting to do anything just to get noticed by the right person. 'I’m Just A Kid' has a title that tells you all you need to know, many a teenager will have most likely quoted this on MySpace or even tattooed some lyrics onto their arm with a biro. 'When I’m With You' and 'Addicted' are perfect if you just found out that the girl you like from the year above is secretly sleeping with a bloke who doesn’t go to your school; and then 'Perfect' rounds the album off nicely, a good old fashioned ‘I’m angry with my Dad’-type song that definitely needs to be blared out.

As far as debut albums go, Simple Plan, without question, hit the ground running back in 2002. It’s pretty clear why they were so internationally recognised. 4/5 (my 15 year old self just cried a little, but come on, it’s pretty downhearted stuff).

Tracks to check out:

-       “I’d Do Anything”

-       “I’m Just A Kid”

-       “Perfect”

Mike Bray

@SmilerBray180

Best Years - Drop Out

28th August 2015

The Manchester outfit Best Years make their second outing into the pop-punk world with their new electrifying EP Drop Out (released 28th August 2015). Carrying on from their 2014 EP Footwork, Best Years have once again made a record to get fans of all ages off their feet and bouncing like a teenager watching the schools punk band playing in the gym. The lyrics to track "Overrated" are superb for a band in their early stages, sounding as if they have been gracing the scene for many years like veterans, and really speaks to anyone that has ever thought of dropping everything to start up a band, to take on the world. Every track on Drop Out is pop-punk at its very best, and if Best Years can keep this momentum going, then the best of years is really ahead of them! Fans can only hope for now that a full length album is not too far away to sink their teeth into, as this is an absolute solid EP, and definitely earns itself 5/5.

Tracks to check out:

- "Overrated"

Sam Muckley

@s_muckley

Gunship - Gunship

28th August 2015

The side project of Fightstar's Dan Haigh and Alex Westaway, Gunship's debut album brings the 80's chilled night life scene right back into the modern era seamlessly, as if the past three decades never interrupted it. With a synthesized backing beat, Gunship could easily be mistaken for an 80's movie soundtrack, especially with the song "Tech Noir" which strongly nods towards the Terminator franchise (Tech Noir also being the name of the club featured in the film), with the vocals, including guest and fellow Fightstar companion Charlie Simpson, only adding to the feeling of a dystopian society that this evokes upon the listener. The only major downside is that of the band members prior commitments to other projects, throwing a sense of uncertainty as to whether a follow up album, let alone the future of the band, will happen. All in all, a good album for all fans of 80's music, regardless if you witnessed the scene first hand and are clinging on to those old records, or if the 80's is a trend pushed upon you.

3/5 (but easily pushing a 4)

Tracks to check out:

- "The Mountain"

- "Tech Noir"

- "Fly For Your Life"

Sam Muckley

@s_muckley

Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes - Blossom

28th August 2015

Frank Carter is back with his raw punk talent, this time accompanied by his new band & the Rattlesnakes. There was a lot of hype leading up to Blossom's release, with fans getting an early Christmas present when the whole album was live streamed from the band's website (accompanied with an album length eerie video of Frank watching an amp set burn) a week before release day; and the twittersphere erupted for it! With the album transitioning from thoroughly violent hardcore in opening track "Juggernaut" to the eloquent melody that tugs at heartstrings with "Beautiful Death." With a tour, supported by Creeper, Blossom promises a year of sweaty, angry mosh pits for Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes, which venues will have to be prepared for, as there is no holding back for a band of this calibre. When Blossom first dropped earlier in the month, I tweeted uncertainty whether closing track "I Hate You" was nonsensical violence or sheer beauty, and although that question still goes unanswered, it is a statement I still stand by. Frank is back, he means business, and he really f**king hates you. 

4/5

Tracks to check out:
- "Fangs"

- "Beautiful Death"

- "I Hate You"

Sam Muckley

@s_muckley