The Kills – Blood Pressures

The trashy rock guitars and vocals of duo of Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince can once again be heard ringing as The Kills have recently released new album Blood Pressures.  The Kills have always been compared with similar bands like the White Stripes or Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in terms of vocals and music direction, but it cannot be denied that their own meshing of genres and time period influences has made their ‘bluesy’ pop-punk distinct.

First track “Future Starts Slow” establishes the mood of the album with thunderous drums and a menacing guitar lines underlying Mosshart’s vocals and Hince’s faint harmony. The interesting thing about the Kills is the concept of two people producing such a clamouring racket. The wrenching guitars on “Satellite,” followed by the anthemic chorus of “Heart Is A Beating Drum,” further drive the punchy rhythms.

It’s easy to be caught up in the notion that the Kills as underrated masters of their genre but it is also apparent that there is much room for growth. If you are in the mood for some soft dirty garage rock you will no doubt be taken with Blood Pressures however, it can also be said that the tracks flow a little too much into each other.

The Kills – Blood Pressures

Domino – 2011

Alesandra Hernandez

Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

In Swedish indie-pop sensation Lykke Li’s follow-up to 2008's debut Youth Novels there’s an earnestness and weight to the album that drives her soft melodies and hypnotic beats, but also makes the listener yearn for some light amidst the bleak post-breakup laments. On Little Bit, centrepiece of her debut, she was "a little bit in love", while here "sadness is her boyfriend", the album recorded in the aftermath of an unrequited love affair. Thankfully, sadness tends to suit her, with producer Björn Yttling (he of Peter Björn and John fame) encasing the songs in a heady mix of primal drums, tinpot percussion, scratchy guitars and, on the excellent Love Out of Lust, a desolate whistle solo.

We are reminded that Lykke Li is only 24 years old in her lyrics. With only a pitter-patter beat and a simple guitar arpeggio as her accompaniment, Li sings lines from the tear-stained pages of her teenage diary on “Unrequited Love.” Wounded Rhymes  peaks with “Sadness is a Blessing.” Its final three tracks never quite match the quality of the rest of the album. “I Know Places” comes close when the early-Dylan ballad gives way to a ghostly choral incantation. But “Jerome” and “Silent My Song” suffer in comparison to highlights like “I Follow Rivers” and “Rich Kids Blues.”

Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

Atlantic – 2011

Alesandra Hernandez

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

When you think of Fleet Foxes previous releases, you envision beautiful harmonies that sweep you away, powerful vocals with a sound heavily influenced by traditional folk songs. This remains true for the recently released ‘Helplessness Blues’. While some of the catchier tracks they are famous for are missing, the haunting melodies and the use of baroque harmonic pop jams is present throughout the entire album. Helplessness Blues is an album that stays true to the distinctive sound that is Fleet Foxes. Musically, the hooks are softer, the arrangements more ambitious, and 1960s British psychedelic folk (Fairport Convention, Vashti Bunyan, Pentangle) a far more palpable influence than the Americana that fueled the band's 2008 debut, refreshing though you may find yourself waiting for a more ‘popy’ janglier number. In the end though, the Seattle boys do not disappoint and staying true to their roots will indeed pay off. 


Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Sub Pop; 2011

Alesandra Hernandez

Cassette Kids- Nothing on TV

Nothing On TV heralds the arrival of one of Australia’s most exciting young bands. Their indie rock sound is clearly derived from influences such as The Rapture, Klaxons, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and No Doubt. The sound heard in ‘Nothing on TV’ is a strange fusion of different styles which is both unique and catchy. The opening track Insomnia is a beautiful and light track about letting go. The guitar riff at the beginning allows listeners to be consumed with the synthesizer fills adding an edge and electro dance styling. Contributing yet another angle, the vocals heard by Katrina Noorbergen provide a pop sound or influence which listeners of mainstream music may find appreciation.


 The first single off their album is titled ‘Lying Around’ presenting listeners with an 80’s dance beat and self motivating lyrics. The track regretfully does not showcase any catchy hook lines and melodies that stick in your mind and the repetitive nature quickly becomes annoying. The musical tension remains virtually the same throughout with the only energy being delivered is from the vocals. The lyrics, however do communicate a significant message about not getting off your arse to go after what you want. The track Coming Back is quite different from the first few tracks on the album. The whole song is centered on a catchy guitar riff that adds a depth and contrast to the track. The a’cappella voice at the beginning is catchy and adds a certain unique flavor that is repeated at as a motif throughout the song. The album Nothing On TV is unique and exciting but there does come a time when you will want to change the channel. 

Breana Garratt

www.cassettkids.com.au

Sony Music Entertainment

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday

            Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday 

 Review by: Manav

Nicki Minaj, a name which the music industry was unfamiliar with about 3 to 4 years ago. However, this is not the case today as she has worked with many popular artists in a short period of time and has earned a much respected name in the rap industry. Today she is possibly the best female rapper in the world, and this is why I am disappointed with her latest album "Pink Friday".After spending over 3 years hyping this debut–building up a cheeky, fun-loving persona, a band of fiercely loyal followers and even her own concocted vocabulary (the Nictionary), Nicki Minaj has seemingly taken the winning formula that turned her into an overnight major label superstar and effectively…well, SHITTED ON ‘EM.

My suspicion is that the hype simply grew too great. With so much riding on this debut as the first female MC to top the charts in years, Minaj could do nothing but put down the pink mangoes featured on her mixtapes and guest verses, stand her ground and bare her teeth. She’s not playing around on this record–she’s marking her territory (and ultimately trying too hard in the process).

The result is a sloppy, samey and distinctly un-fun debut, leading up to what has proven to be the most disappointing release of the year.

In the end, Pink Friday ends up feeling and sounding more like a solid streak of grey.

Album rating: 2/5

S&M - Rhianna

Song: S&M

Artist: Rihanna

Release Date: January 21, 2011

Lyrics: Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Sandy Wilhelm

Produced: Def Jam Recordings 

The single derives from electro, dance pop and dance music. Its lyrics are pretty raunchy and have bedroom fantasy themes such as "I may be bad but I'm perfectly good at it… chains and whips excite me." These have been criticised by many radio stations and TV channels who refuse to play the song before a certain time, as they believe they are more suited for an older  audience. 

In terms of chart performance, the single ascended and descended on the charts, until it reached its peak position at number one where it was fixed for five consecutive weeks. Rihanna performed S&M for the first time in 2011 for the "Last Girl on Earth Tour." 

I would definitely recommend anyone interest in dance music to buy this single ! Sunayana Kataria 

Usher - OMG

Song: OMG 

Artist: Usher feat. Will.i.am

Release Date: March 22, 2010

Lyrics: William Adams

Produced: American recording 

"OMG" is a mid tempo pop song that was influenced by RnB, hip hop, dance-pop and synthpop. It a fun dance song with an amazing beat, making it very popular in clubs and house parties. The lyrics for the single weren't as amazing as people had expected, but the music video did justice to that, by emphasising Usher's character and his stardom. The song is a typical Usher song in terms of the choreography which can be compared to that of "Yeah." Some lines have been auto tuned, which many people have criticised but I believe it perfectly accompanies the dance beat. In term of chart performance, this song did extremely well. It was Usher's ninth number one single, and as of March 2011, it had sold over 4 million digital copies. His series of successful OMG tours emphasise the popularity of this song. The single is known as 2010's summer anthem, and after listening to this song, its easy to understand why ! Sunayana Kataria 

Warpaint 'The Fool'

American experimental rock recently reached Australian shores with all girl band 'Warpaint' touring as part of the popular St Jerome's Laneway Festival. Playing songs from their debut full length album 'The Fool' and tracks from their popular 2009 EP 'Exquisite Corpse' Warpaint 'wowed' audiences Australia wide, with their mix of rock, folk and indie-pop in a fantastically psychedelic experience. The combined vocals of Emily Kokal (vocals, guitar), Theresa Wayman (guitar, vocals) and Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass, vocals) are hauntingly beautiful and reminiscent of 60’s artists such as Vashti Bunyan and modern artists like Cat Power. Saying this Warpaint are refreshingly unique. With the inclusion of the newest member of the band – Australian born drummer/keyboardist Stella Mozgawa – ‘The fool’ is less of a catchy indie-pop experience as in ‘Exquisite Corpse’ and more of a drawn out folky emotional journey.

Warpaint are a band you can truly say are talented in their own right – regardless of the fact that their album was mixed by former Red Hot Chilli Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, and their legacy of drummers includes current RHCP guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and actress Shannyn Sossamon (Lindberg's older sister). While tunes such as 'Warpaint' and 'Undertow' come across as drawn out psychedelic beauty the shared lead vocals and guitar of  Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman ensure each track has a new fresh feel – with tracks such as ‘Bees’ having a more pop or folky sound. ‘The Fool’ is an Album you can listen to again and again and still find it pleasing.

Alesandra Hernandez

Warpaint
The Fool
(Rough Trade/Remote Control)

Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy

Genre: Rap

Reviewed by: Manav

Tinie Tempah is a British rapper from Plumstead, South London. His debut album "Disc-Overy" featured at number one spot in the top 10 current albums according to Billboard.com on 10th October 2010. This album features some great music and fusion tracks. By fusion I am referring to the smash hit single "Written in the stars" featuring Eric Turner. This track features the smooth rock style voice of Eric turner fused with the british rapping style of Tinie tempah in order to create an amazing fusion track. This track is still in the top 10 rap songs according to billboard.com even though it was released almost 7 months ago. Furthermore, apart from this smash hit single, this album features other successfull singles such as "Pass out", "Frisky" and "Miami to Ibiza"

Overall, I personally like the rapping style of Tinie Tempah and would recommed rap listners to purchase this album.

Overall Rating: 3/5

Rebecca Black- Friday

Song: Friday

Artist: Rebecca Black

Release Date: March 14, 2011

Lyrics: Clarence Jey and Patrice Wilson

Produced: ARK Music Factory

The music video for the "Friday" has become an instant hit on youtube, mostly due to negative reaction towards the lyrics, visuals and certain voice controls. The video’s view count on YouTube jumped from around 3,000 views to over 57 million with over 850,000 comments in two weeks. Rebecca Black’s single “Friday” consists of meaningless lyrics such as “gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal” and “we, we, we so excited; we, we, we going to have a ball today.” This makes the song childish, irritating and grammatically incorrect. One of the worst aspects of the song is Black’s awful singing voice which seems to be auto tuned to the chipmunk version.

Since the growth in popularity of the song and video, there have been numerous parody videos and remixes. Rebecca has expressed her gratitude on Twitter, ignoring the haters and thanking her supporters. "Slowly working it's way to the top!! Thank you all so much! "So honored. So many amazing and talented people actually KNOW of my song. It's been an incredible last few days. Thanks you all!" Sunayana Kataria

Wiz Khalifa - Rolling Papers

Genre: Rap / Hip-Hop

Reviewed by: Manav

Wiz Khalifa is a Pittsburgh resident who recently released his debut mainstream album titled "Rolling Papers". This album is a mixture of Rap and Hip-Hop music, although it also features a couple of party based pop tracks. This album features smash hit singles released prior to the release of this album by Wiz Khalifa such as "Black & Yellow" and "Roll Up". Both these tunes have sold over million coppies alone in united states while they've been viewed over 50 million times on youtube combined. A lot of contrast can be seen in this album in regards to the type of rap, as Wiz shows his versatility and uses hood rapping style in "Black and Yellow", while he uses soft and smooth flow style of rap in his single "Roll Up".

Furthermore, to back up its smash hits, Wiz khalifa's new album also features some other decent tracks such as "No sleep" and "On my level". Overall, this album is a must get for the hardcore Rap fans, and for others, they should definitely purchase atleast the two smash hits featured on this album.

Rating: 3.5/5

Motion City Soundtrack- My Dinosaur Life

Motion City Soundtrack are back in business recently hitting Aussie stages at Soundwave 2010 sharing with us the delights of their fourth album ‘My Dinosaur life’. The album follows the same styling as the albums that came before, widely recognizable by their unique blend of pop rok, indie rock and punk revival. The lyrics are quirky, snarky but soul searching and sprinkled with cultural references. The lyrics are largely based on the personal experiences of the lead vocalist Justin Pierre. Pierre says he draws inspiration for lyrics from artists like "Ben Folds and Tom Waits and people who I believe tell stories" it is true that the album almost sounds like a personal diary of experienes or photo album of memories. With Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus as producer, My Dinosaur Life still provides excitement and energy, thrashing guitars and hyperkinetic drums, with moog synthesizers. Unfortunately the album does not live up to the originality and success of previous albums such as ‘I am The Movie’. “My dinosaur life’ fails to capture the band’s growing maturity. The chord progressions and riffs are recycled from tracks that have come before and show no development in the sound. ‘The History Lesson’ is perhaps the most disappointing track on the CD with the lead vocal giving off an almost winging effect. The last chorus the key change is almost unbearable and a terrible musical decision. Tracks such as “Her words destroyed my planet” are unoriginal but positively addictive; it is always entertaining when a band member admits to watching ‘Veronica Mars’ in the lyrics of a track. A band pop rock band that is fabulous with the pop but does not quite conquer the rock. Breana Garratt

Produced by Columbia Records

Motioncitysountrack.com

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