Review: Spector- Moth Boys

Spector are an indie/electronic band who formed in London in 2011. The band is made up of Fred Macpherson (vocals), Jed Cullen (guitar/synth) Thomas Shickle (bass) and Danny Blandy (drums). Since forming, the band have gathered quite a lot of media coverage. They were widely touted as the next big thing in British music and were nominated for BBC Radio 1's sound of 2012 poll.

'Moth Boys' is the bands second studio album after 2012's 'Enjoy It While It Lasts'. Their last album didn't gain as much commercial success as expected and they didn't really live up to the hype that some journalists were surrounding them with.

This album begins with the track 'All The Sad Young Men', this track starts off brooding and downbeat. It then builds into a glorious chorus with a catchy synth line and vocals. It then flows into 'Stay High' which is a smooth and well put together track. I like how the big sound of the chorus contrasts with the slower introduction and bridge sections of the track.

Searchlight: Superfood

Who are they?
Superfood are a four piece indie band from Birmingham. The band is made up of Dominic Ganderton (vocals/guitar), Ryan Malcom (guitar), Emily Baker (bass) and Carl Griffin (drums).

How can their sound be described?
Their music is full of energy and their lyrics are clever and witty. They have a lot of really catchy hooks and an uptempo rhythm. This sound can be likened to 90's Britpop in many ways, which is a genre that they have clearly taken a lot of inspiration from.  

What's their role in the B-town scene?
The band play quite a big role in the thriving music scene in Birmingham alongside Peace, Swim Deep and Jaws. This scene is really exciting at the moment, spawning a stream of fresh, new bands with a lot of potential. The core of this scene is Digbeth where there is regular events on that promote local talent. Dom, the lead singer from Superfood helped to produce early demos for both Peace and Swim Deep, showing the community aspect of the scene.

Interview: Birdskulls

I spoke to Jack Pulman, the guitarists/singer from upcoming band Birdskulls.

Where are you from?
"Jack and Rory are originally from Exeter, Devon and Sam from East Grinstead but now we all live in Brighton."

How long have you known each other and how did you meet?
"We've all known each other for 3 years and met at parties in Brighton. Coincidentally Sam met Rory at a Greg Jackson and the Hot Flushes show in Bournemouth."

How would you describe your sound?
"Its everything that we like listening to, it changes a lot, but its based in punk rock and because we use fuzz pedals, people say it sounds like grunge! Which is fine because grunge is great, but we don't really think its grunge because it doesn't have influences from the metal side as much as the punk rock side!"

Do you have any advice for someone who's looking to start a band?
"Playing Rage against the machine covers is fun, Bombtrack is a great riff. Wear earplugs for safety, but don't if you don't want to. Do what you want!"

Review: FKA Twigs- M3LL155X (EP)

FKA Twigs (real name, Tahliah Barnett) is a singer, songwriter and producer from Gloucestershire, Britain.

She came onto the music scene with the releases of 'EP1' in 2012 and 'EP2' in 2013. She then released her debut album, 'LP1' in 2014, this received good reviews in general and gained her notable commercial success.

The five track EP opens with the track, 'Figure 8', it has a very striking beat that's very fragmented. Her vocals work well with this beat, adding a softer elements. Around half way through the track there's a deeper, rather illegible voice that marks a change as it descends into a kind of organised chaos.

The second track on the album is 'I'm Your Doll', the production on this track isn't as strong as the previous but the balance is very delicate and poignant. It then goes into the track 'In Time', this has a faster pace than the previous track and has a whomping instrumental that's very hip hop inspired. The vocals are also have a much faster pace, but they still feel very gentle against the heavier beat.

Interview- Virginia Wing

I spoke to Alice, the lead singer of Virginia Wing, an upcoming band from Camberwell, South London. 

How did you meet and how long have you known each other?
"There is no interesting answer for this question I'm afraid. We knew each other through music, had been friends for a while and decided to start making music together. Other members have come and gone but it's always remained the three of us."

How would you describe your sound?

"When people ask me what kind of music I make, I say "electronic music" for ease but I suppose that's not really representative. I guess it's just weird pop music."

Describe the process behind writing one of your tracks.

"Every song starts off as some fragmented demo made by Sam or myself. Usually based around a sample or a recording or just something we've been playing around with. Then the other person has their input and shapes it a little more. Most songs properly form when we're recording in the studio and we can figure out all those last little details."

Review: Frankie & The Heartstrings- Decency

Frankie & the Heartstrings are an indie band that formed in Sunderland in 2008. The band slowly formed around Frankie Francis (vocals) and Michael McKnight (guitar) with multiple line-up changes occurring before reaching its current roster. Frankie started off as a bassist, but changed to vocals when the other members told him he was no good at playing the bass.

Decency is the bands third studio album after 2011's 'Hunger' and 2013's 'The Days Run Away'. The band have gained relative success in recent years, playing support slots for such bands as The Futureheads and The Vaccines. They have also had their own UK headline tours and played shows across Europe, New York and Tokyo.

The album opens with the 42 second long 'Peterborough Dogs'. The next track is the title track, 'Decency', this track is very upbeat and happy sounding. This is a good start to the album in my opinion, it sets the pace and tells listeners what they can hope to hear as the album carries on. 'Think Yourself Lucky' and 'Save It For Tonight' are both similarly uptempo tracks that are vocally and instrumentally very classy  and well executed. They are both riff heavy and the prior track incorporates brass into the chorus.

Searchlight: Cloud Nothings

Who are they?
Cloud Nothings are an indie rock/punk band from Cleveland, Ohio (USA). The band is made up of Dylan Baldi (singer/guitars), TJ Duke (Bass) and Jayson Gerycz (drums). Joe Boyer was the fourth member of the band but he left at a later date.

Dylan Baldi started off as a solo artist, writing and recording music in his parents basement. He created a number of different fake bands with their own Myspace accounts. Cloud Nothings were one of the bands that he created, it then got noticed by a rock promoter from New York. This promoter invited the band to play a support slot for Real Estate, prompting Baldi to gather people for the band to play his songs live. 'Here And Nowhere Else' was the first album that the band created together.

How can their sound be described?
The band have have a lo-fi, noise rock sound that focuses heavily on experimental sounds and a rough and ready style. Although Baldi doesn't have a lot of technical ability as a singer, his actual lyrics and the way he crafts his vocals with the instruments are very good.

My Top 10's- Muse Tracks

10.) Unintended (Showbiz, Track 7)

9.) Starlight (Black Holes And Revelations, Track 2)

8.) Undisclosed Desires (The Uprising, Track 3)

7.) Knights Of Cydonia (Black Holes And Revelations, Track 11)

6.) Resistance (The Resistance, Track 2)

5.) Supremacy (The 2nd Law, Track 1)

4.) Stockholm Syndrome (Absolution, Track 5)