JONO'S MUSIC REVIEWS

Plan B (Pendulum remix): Stay Too Long

2010-01-21T04:20:00.000-08:00

Essentially just another Pendulum track, enough said. Don't get me wrong, Pendulum were intuitively innovative, and should be credited for their amalgamation of musical genres, but their remixes often leave a bitter taste in my mouth; as the saying goes "if it ain't broke don't fix it". With every remix they put out, the original song receives a good battering from their now cheesy synths and generic, heavy guitar distortion.

The track "Stay Too Long"survives just a minute of Plan B's high pitched yet fairly decent vocals before it is battered as the Pendulum build-up kicks in much to my annoyance.

It is so predictable! I knew from the offset that as soon as a glimpse of Pendulum seeped through that Plan B would revert to his anger driven lyrical flow accompanined with displeasing sirens. It's one thing for Pendulum to continue making conservative and unchanging music for thmeselves, but to sabotage other artist's work is not on.

What really gets to me about this remix is that the work Pendulum put in is clearly minimal and very lazy. I would put money on the fact that when they heard this song they thought that Plan B had given it to them on a plate as the track is so easily transformed into one of their own; at least with their take on Prodigy's "Voodoo People", it felt like a fair amount of time had gone into the production process.

Pendulum offer nothing new and the only saving grace in this track was that Rob Swire's irritating robotic voice was not present. But if that's the only positive to be found in a release then...

If I was Plan B I would throw this remix back in their face, and smash Pendulum's synthesisers for good measure for destroying a quality tune.

Wiley new single: Take That

2010-01-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

The Godfather of UK Grime is back! And in the words of Wiley, he's got the formula and he'll

rain on all o' ya, take that!

Solely responsible for bringing the grime scene out of the underground of Bow, East London, Wiley has managed to take the likes of Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk to the limelight through his own successes and now it's his time.

New track "Take That" is supposedly written as a response to colleagues continual mocking of his pharmaceutical degree, well, if this is the sort of tune he rolls off when he is annoyed then imagine his musical potential when he's steaming mad.

This sure-to-be-club banger shakes you awake from the offset, with Wiley's voice demanding you Take That!

Teaming up with Brooklyn based Producer, Chew Fu to move his music in a new direction with choppy, razor-synths, the track instantly reaffirms that this song is anything but forgiving in content, and exudes a vibe of frantic mayhem and panic with a massive dose of satisfaction.

This is one of those tracks which will be accepted by genres across the musical spectrum, and I'm sure that 2010 will be Wiley's year as he follows fellow Grime superstars to deserved success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjoQEckfDeQ

Your Demise: Joiners

2009-12-16T07:59:00.001-08:00

Your Demise stormed the stage at Southampton's Joiners on Monday night with their hardcore metal sound as their Santa Slaughter tour tears across the country as relentlessly as their own music. With an army of fans, Joiners seemed as crowded as ever and certainly as manic. Likened to bands such as Hatebreed and influenced heavily by hardcore bands such as Sick Of It All, Your Demise offered an English familiarity within their tunes and never once tried to take on the Americanisms, which so plague this scene.

Newly appointed singer, Ed McRae, the anger-driven manifestation of the band, never once stopped moving, pacing the stage like a lost rabid dog. He was as exhausting to watch as the hardcore metal is on the eardrum. However, as furiously as his mannerisms were projected, the rest of the band appeared glued to the stage except for the occasional meager sway.

Apart from McRae's shrieking demands, Your Demise provide a generic metal show and definitely not an intimate one at that. I never felt engaged, with a lot of the songs sounding the same and as the show went on it felt like you were just listening to the same track stuck on repeat.

The exclusion of a driving guitar force could possibly be the root of Your Demise's lack of innovation and individuality, and inevitably their success, but hey, the kids at the show didn't seem to mind.

Mumford and Sons new single: Winter Winds

2009-12-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

Let's not mess about, but when the word "folk" is uttered, people usually think one of two things, they either think Johnny Cash or they think Wild West. It's the fact of the matter. It is only the educated, folk music enlightened few who can differentiate between sub categories. So, for me Mumford and Sons promote a somewhat underground, and to some extent a dying genre with effortless finesse. This London group are cropping up everywhere at the moment and doing the UK folk scene the world of good.

Putting the whole genre-defining debate aside, Mumford and Sons' "Winter Winds" is a superb standalone track and a very memorable one to boot. You know when an unknown or obscure band releases a huge hit? Well this is there's.

It's like folk music but not; Indie Folk if you will. There is something very astutely accessible and real about this song and indeed this band. With peculiarly endearing lyrics complimented with uplifting melodies, it resonates a feeling of realism and beautified nostalgia within true love.

The song creates atmosphere, which you can almost taste with every syllable, with its use of banjo and brass creating a fabulous fable-like masterpiece. "Winter Winds" is the sort of track that makes you stop what you are doing regardless of the task in hand.

If Mumford and Sons fail to take off, then this song must be cherished. It is simply timeless and it will still have the same effect on people in fifty years time as it has today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pABNMCYOO4Y

Apples: The Unit

2009-12-07T08:02:00.001-08:00

Interesting music but a decidedly average performance, consisting of little to no stage presence. If Apples (a five-piece from Hereford) upped the anti a bit then they will go on to huge things.

The music was great, and after seeing them perform at The Unit on Saturday I checked out the band’s myspace, and recognized the songs from the gig instantly, and I felt they did well to perform the songs as crisply as they did in recordings.

They simply make flawless pop music. Comparable to the likes of Vampire Weekend fused with Madness, with a faint hint of The Smiths’ jangly, reverb sound. Although I offer comparisons to this band, what I liked about them was they are hard to pigeonhole, and although being by no means original, they take on the guises of a variety of artists.

Unlike so many other up and coming bands they have managed to get the layering in their songs correct so as to make them sound complete and not empty. The stand out track for me was “Monty, It’s time”. This was a great tune, which had really catchy backing vocals that had me humming the whole evening. Delightfully infectious.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell if the audience were there to see these guys or if they were just there because it is somewhere for the alternative people to congregate. I would like to think that the turnout was for the band but I don’t think it was. This shouldn’t dishearten the guys as it would be surprising if they are not on Radio 1 within a year; clear up the disengaging live show and the potential is endless. These guys are on to a winner.

Towers of London: Joiners

2009-12-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

Forget the facade and charade of Donnie Tourette's appearances on Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Celebrity Big Brother, because when the Towers of London come to rocking something fierce, do they?!

Storming the Joiner's stage on Sunday night in true punk rock fashion, singer, Donnie could have said anything and the crowd would have lapped up every word of it. The band played up to the cliche mannerisms of a standard punk band with ghastly smirks and peculiar hand movements, but instead of leaving the audience feeling embarrassed for them, the crowd relished in the scene.

Essentially, what it all boils down to is raw talent and these guys definitely have this by the bag load. Keeping a dying UK punk scene alive, true punk fans have to put their faith in the new generation as the likes of Sham 69 and UK SUBS aren't going to be around forever, plus it would be unfair to expect these veterans to tour forever. Towers of London are certainly as mental as the original punks of the day, and as far as music goes, they are on a par with, if not better than the punks of the late 70's.

Going to the gig with preconceptions of witnessing a bunch of media whores, i was pleasantly surprised. Tonight was all about the music. Stand out tracks were the crowd-pleasing "I'm a rat" with its awesome intro build-up, which climaxed into a crescendo searing lead guitar riff, with a catchy chorus of repeating I'M A RAT. Simple yet effective.

Towards the end of the gig the band left the stage leaving just Dirk Tourette on stage with an acoustic guitar. He gave a great acoustic version of "F**k it up", which, apart from being suitably mesmeric, provided a well earned break for the army of exhausted fans. Then, after being prompted by the crowd to give another song he played the theme tune for Only Fools And Horses, which was excellent. Not expected, but certainly well received, it fitted oddly well in with the vibe of the show.

Without a doubt, one of the best gigs I have been to this year. You simply don't get new bands going all out to make this style of music anymore. With beautified adaptations of punk being broadcast on the airwaves today, Towers of London make no compromises and uphold how the style was meant to be.

The Cribs new single: We Share The Same Skies

2009-11-25T11:18:00.000-08:00

Go home Johnny Marr! The former Smiths guitarist's influence is ruining the style of Wakefield rockers The Cribs.

Where The Cribs' once shambolic nature was unrivaled, their new sound is no good and certainly not unique. All fingers point to Mr Marr.

Of course with any new band mate, there is sure to be a new acquisition of sound, and a new layer added, but with such a dramatic change in direction, The Cribs sound is barely recognisable even when comparing their latest single to releases from their previous album.

The Cribs used to sound fresh, but this latest offering "We Share The Same Skies" resembles a distant, banished cousin of The Smiths. Do we really need another band resembling a modern day Smiths?

Musically the song is hard to bash, and I'm sure there will be the age old argument of "the band have matured", but this should not happen in The Cribs' case as it's their careless nature which brought them to media attention and admired musical credential in the first place. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

NME top 100 cool list? Wrinkly old rocker Johnny Marr? I don't think so. With Johnny Marr in toe, he is dragging down both the music and the look of The Cribs.

http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DbcAl3EbIs

charlotte Hatherley: Railway Inn

2009-11-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

After parting ways with stadium rockers Ash in 2006, Charlotte Hatherley takes her own show to the small stage performing to an intimate room of loyal fans.
"There's no fancy introductions", informed Hatherley modestly as she got on stage to perform tracks from her new album "New Worlds" at Winchester's Railway Inn on Sunday night. She didn't need any fancy introductions as the music spoke for itself.
The set was short but certainly sweet, lasting less than an hour but what she lost in stage time, she made up for in performance. With a loose, floaty indie feel which lacked a conventional, definite style, she kept the audience guessing at all times. Every song was stylistically different from any other thus creating a sense of pace, and capturing and maintaining the audience's attention.

The set playlist was well crafted; spacing out more well known tracks amongst newer, lesser known ones, which is something every performing musician should do. Crowd favourites included the opening track from the album New World, "White", which was as purely perfromed as the title name suggests. A class track, with a gritty riff in the verse, which was neutralised by the breezy, psychedelic nature of the chorus.

A personal favourite of mine was the explosive "Alexander", a song about lusting after someone. This had a really edgy, punky feel to it, (evidence that Ash had not all but left her) which sat perfectly between more calm songs to keep the show moving. "Bastardo" was the last track, which summed up the performance nicely and demonstrated Charlotte is not generic singer song writer.

It certainly was different seeing her perform to eighty people as opposed to eighty thousand, but it would be fair to say that her music is all the better for the change in direction.

Green Day new single: 21st Century Breakdown

2009-11-20T06:20:00.000-08:00

So far from the glory days of "Dookie", Green Day really have ruined it. Billie Joe Armstrong and the gang have lost their way over the past few years, releasing dire tracks one after the other; this being no exception.

21st Century Breakdown offers nothing new and is just polluting the airwaves with meaningless nonsense. Green Day may think they have donned a new attire and are now political icons, but their messages and political thinking has gone to their heads, all at their music's expense. Gone are the days where they rocked out tracks centering around masturbation and insanity, the days when the music was simple yet effective, and now enters the era of dull, repetitive drivel.

For Green Day I fear there is no turning back. Why would they bother emulating tunes of times gone by when their new layered sound sells so many millions every year? For me this track is just another chronicle from a never ending series of bad releases from a once great band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4ZKlT1EvCA

Jamie T new single: The Man's Machine

2009-11-20T06:11:00.000-08:00

Hailing from Wimbledon, South London, lovable, young scamp Jamie T's latest single is a real banger. Capturing the true spirit of youth effortlessly, he just keeps reeling them off like nobody's business. Jamie's really mastered that 'gang's all here' sound; he is the personification of a great Saturday night.

The Man's Machine, the third single from the new album "Kings and Queens, is the epitome of cool. With laid back, rap-like verses and an anthemic chorus, which would sit comfortably being sang across festival fields next summer, this tune is pop perfection.

With Jamie, people seem to love his thing or hate it, and this track will received in the same way. You will know if you like it within 1o seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8W3x9kyW2A

Detachments: Joiners

2009-11-18T07:24:00.000-08:00

The Bravery could learn a trick or two from these guys. The synthesiser was literally made for this act, and was used as it was intended; perfectly!

On Tuesday, Southampton's Joiners presented post-punk electro outfit Detachments. Dressed in black, the band delivered a collection of infectious pop-driven anthems, which never once let up. With their heavy use of synths, one would be forgiven for mistaking them for Joy Division or Psychedelic Furs; they were certainly as sincere.

The lead singer, Sebastien Marshal, oozed confidence and charisma, and despite the meagre size of the crowd, gave an incredible performance, which would have satisfied hundreds were it not for the turnout.

Detachments is an appropriate name for this non-conformist gang; appearing to be detached from any kind of reality and morality. The guys performed a very convincing, sinister set, with a sense of urgency being projected throughout its entirety. The Depeche Mode disciples exuded alienation, which was peculiarly intriguing as they captured the audience as a car accident would... you can't take your eyes of it!

Their skill was top-notch, and any slip-ups went unnoticed. The drums and bass, although being far from ordinary, maintained order effortlessly. What I particularly liked about these guys was their sense of vacancy and blase nature, which instantly brands them cool in my eyes! I feel confident in saying that this band will go on to great things. With a mixture of superb stage presence and knowing their sound, these guys are on to a winner, keeping the scene alive. A five star performance.

Editors new single: Papillon

2009-11-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

It was certainly a relief to hear the end of Editors latest offering Papillon.

Once an innovative band with a clear, unique style, Editors are now on a slippery slope to obscurity with such releases.

So far from the glory days of The Back Room, the band have definitely lost their way with this single release. On first hearing, the track sounds exciting, with an infectious keyboard techno loop but it goes nowhere and lacks any sort of direction. What's gone wrong?

For a band that have mastered that techno rock song, this really was a let down from this rare talent. The band's vocalist, Tom Smith's dreary, mournful vocals are now being reflected in the band's music style. A very drab and average track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq4tyDRhU_4

Weezer new single: I Want You To

2009-11-15T12:06:00.000-08:00

Back to the old school! Basic, balls out pop-rock! Californian geek rock legends Weezer return with a new single (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To. Quite a mouthful of a track I know, but then track titles have never been these guy's forte.

The pioneers of their style return to their roots with a track which would sit comfortably on their infamous Blue Album. Geeky self-pity is what these rockers thrive on, with themes of "being without" and longing for some unattainable entity, being prominent; they are the Monet's of their genre.

(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To, is a catchy little number, which demonstrates the style of the band at its most basic. This tune has a really amicable quality, as it's nice and upbeat tempo which works snugly with the shy lyrics to create an "it's okay that we aren't okay" vibe.

Not a bad song, but for a band with a back catalogue which include the likes of Buddy Holly and Say It Aint So, this song is definitely not up their with these iconic classic anthems. I really couldn't ever see this tune being covered by any band unless they are hardcore Weezer fans, even then...

After having mild mainstream success in 2005 with the poppy, radio friendly Beverley Hills, the guys have completely reverted to their true downstroke pop-rock with this effort. You gotta admire Weezer as they could have easily churned out more of the same mainstream tunes, but instead they ditch the glitz and glamour and rock out in a true, uncompromising fashion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A7OruAFESw

Dizzee Rascal new single: Dirtee Cash

2009-11-15T11:11:00.001-08:00

This South London boy's come a long way since the days of Boy In Da Corner. Dizzee Rascal has built himself quite an impressive resume, including three UK number one singles in the past twelve months! This grime sensation seems to be everywhere these days, and there seems to be no signs of him letting up.

Dizzee claims the message behind new single Dirtee Cash is that when people don't have money but spend it anyway bad things happen. With this sound fiscal advice, surely Dizzee for Prime Minister!

The sound of this belter is a bit less mainstream than the likes of Bonkers and Dance Wiv me. Dirtee Cash is much more in tune with the style of his last release Maths and English, mildly resembling the song Pussy'ole. This track is simple yet effective, sampling The Adventures Of Stevie V's track "Money Talks"and giving it a refined, modern edge. On paper this should not work at all but I'm sure people thought that no one could rap over a nursery rhyme, but Dizzee proved them wrong!

It's great to hear this Mercury Prize winner reinvent himself yet again and tear the charts apart, sell-out or not. Dirtee Cash is not for the grime Dizzee fans or the pop Dizzee fans, this tune is for the DIZZEE FANS. This track is a winner!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FT0-GdA4Ss

A Textbook Tragedy: Joiners

2009-11-15T10:22:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday, Canadian rockers A Textbook Tragedy performed at The Joiners Arms, Southampton. The Hardcore outfit delivered a great show. With intricate, ear-pleasing metal riffs and heavy guitars, mixed with catchy melodies played perfectly, the night was superb.

The guys very much looked the part and were well fronted, with a well-built singer and guitarist driving the aggression in the music; they literally had the audience eating out of the palm of their hands. The fans relished in this anger, creating an intense and intimate atmosphere. The fact that these guys looked the part and could play their instruments well leaves very little room for criticism.

The band had a very clear following as people piled to the front to get in on the action as soon as they hit the stage. And, with much of the crowed singing the lyrics back to the band, it was clear who they had come to see.

Anyone who likes their hardcore must catch these guys when they next tour. Musically, A Textbook Tragedy are as good as any other band out there of the same genre; all of the members are clear musicians and great showman. All in all, a five star performance.

Holdfast: Railway Inn

2009-11-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

On Friday, The Lonely Hearts Club at Winchester’s infamous Railway Inn played host to yet another up and coming band. Holdfast, a female fronted, post-punk four-piece headlined the stage tonight to a decent sized crowed, but why they had such a good turn out baffled me!

Holdfast resemble a poor man’s Blondie. Think Debbie Harry meets the Yeah Yeah Yeahs minus the crucial element of talent. Much of their sound consists of a peculiar mixture of dull electronic drone with glimpses of pop elation, which never manage to prevail. Their music is a cacophony of mundanity!

BBC Introducing described the band as “It’s fast and it holds my attention. Driven post punk girlie groove thang”. These are merely observations, as a band with such dire musicianship does not warrant anything more than a one-dimensional analysis.

Despite their distinct lack of individuality, it is plain to see why these guys are becoming increasingly popular. Their style very much fits the criteria for today’s scenesters; appealing to people in their late teens who have yet to discover who they are, and relish in a band which they think can relate to the way they feel, even though they sound awful.

Credit where credit’s due, as a unit they were very tight, and for an unsigned band this is often a rare commodity. Furthermore, I must complement these guys on their energy and crowd interaction. They definitely managed to connect with, and create intimacy with the crowd, which so many playing at the Lonely Hearts Club do not manage to achieve. But I get the feeling that this intimacy is only superficial, as their music is not attractive and just mildly resembles the trendy music of today, which will almost certainly be forgotten tomorrow.