The Golden Filter - Voluspa

With a promise of magic and mystery, Voluspa is the debut album from New-York based electronic duo The Golden Filter.  This is a disco album for the New Age with songs about goddesses, mythology and the golden filter that separates us from the spiritual realm.  The Golden Filter are perhaps best known for their talented remixes of songs by artists such as Cut Copy, Little Boots and Empire of the Sun.  With their debut, the duo have plied these skills to balancing the ethereal sounds of vocalist Penelope’s voice with an upbeat, otherworldly electronic sound.  But just who are The Golden Filter and do they deliver on their promise?

Despite embarking on a world tour and appearances at Austin’s South by Southwest in 2009 and 2010, relatively little is known about this intensely secretive duo.  Penelope Trappes grew up in Lismore, Australia and Stephen Hindman was originally from Ohio, USA.  As neighbours, they formed the disco punk band Lismore with Penelope on vocals and Stephen programming and playing guitars.  Closer to Ladytron than their current New Age sound, the format was basically the same and they enjoyed moderate interest in their manic live shows before re-emerging in 2008 as The Golden Filter.  They recorded the song “Solid Gold” in July 2008 and after touring and collaborating for a year, settled down to self-produce their album. 

The album is surprisingly less dance-orientated than fans might have expected considering their collaborations and the music has a definite Eastern sound to it with drums, strings and bells.  Voluspa begins with the upbeat “Dance Around the Fire” which starts off relatively slowly and then rises to a crescendo of violins, tambourines and drums.  With this bold introduction, the album launches straight into “Hide Me”, which was released as the third single from the album on Monday, April 19.  This is another upbeat song with a definite electropop sound to it but in many ways it is similar to the first song.  The insistent, catchy bassline in “Look Me In The Eye” gives an edgy feel that saves the album from slipping into pop banality.  As the album continues, several strong songs such as “Stardust”, “Frejya's Ghost” and the definitive first single “Solid Gold” are interspersed with pleasant pop songs. 

Voluspa aims to be so much more than your traditional New Age offering by Sacred Spirit or Enigma.  The Golden Filter have positioned themselves in the more popular arenas of alternative dance and indie electronic music but at the end of the day, this is really a pop album which isn’t really my cup of tea.  I would recommend that you give the album a listen though and make up your own mind and you can listen to the entire album using this super cool listening widget:

You can also listen to the whole album on the band’s website The Golden Filter and you can purchase individual songs on Amazon.com.  Also worth a look is the band’s Tumblr blog which features their original photography and an ongoing discourse with their fans.  You can see some of their amazing imagery on their site and on their YouTube channel  too.

Voluspa is due out on Brille Records (The Knife, Operator Please) on Monday, April 26th in the UK and it will be released in the US on June 15th.

This review appeared first on BlogCritics.org. I'd like to thank Anorak - London for providing a copy to review. All of the opinions in this review are my own and none of the links are affiliate links.

Blu-ray Review: The Fourth Kind

The Fourth Kind was meant to be the film that proved alien abduction theories once and for all.  Allegedly based on a true story and combined with actual video footage, this was meant to be the explosive film that finally lifted the lid on government cover-ups of alien abductions.  The Fourth Kind stars Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas and Will Patton.

The film opens in 2002 with Dr Abigail Tyler sitting in therapy discussing the death of her husband.  Dr Tyler claims to have been in the room at the time of his death at the hands of an unknown knifeman but does not recall the face of his attacker.  Her therapist, Dr Campos, puts her under hypnosis but her recollections of her husband’s death are so severe and disturbing that he has to pull her out of hypnosis again.  She returns by plane to her secluded town of Nome, Alaska where she herself is a psychologist.

In her practice, Dr Tyler starts to receive near-identical reports of sleep disturbances and sightings of a white owl.  As she begins to investigate the similarities in these reports, a sinister theme begins to emerge and she decides to put her clients under hypnosis.  Events take a tragic turn with the murder-suicide of one of her clients and Dr Tyler struggles to prove that something sinister is occurring in Nome while becoming an increasing object of the local sheriff’s suspicions.

The Fourth Kind is pretty terrifying in parts and a lot of the footage is disturbing, as you are warned at the beginning of the film that it will be.  The film delves into ancient Sumerian language and artefacts that purportedly show UFO and alien-like images dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE. 

It is also entirely unconvincing.

When watching films dealing with supernatural or alien phenomena, I am always ready to suspend disbelief for a couple of hours.  The problem with The Fourth Kind is not that I don’t believe abductions have occurred;  I believe that thousands of people have reported similar experiences and we don’t yet know the real explanation behind those experiences. 

The problem with this film is one that brings down many science-fiction or horror films and that is bad science.  Were it just one or two isolated discrepancies, I’d be able to explain them away as mistakes made by “real” Dr Tyler herself but pretty much everything portrayed in the therapeutic process itself in the film is dodgy.  Dr Tyler breaks patient confidentiality on several occasions and reveals her suspicions behind one patient’s death to another patient.  Patients are pushed through highly disturbing recollections resulting in them being harmed and they are not properly brought out of the hypnotic state before being allowed to leave to offices.  Once again, these could all be mistakes made by the “real” character but most telling is the whole issue of hypnosis itself.  It is simply not possible to induce hypnosis in a highly disturbed and agitated patient as the process relies on them calming down and focusing on your voice. 

Then there is the contrast between the “real” Dr Tyler and Milla Jovovich.  Milla Jovovich is normally a really good actress but she doesn’t look or sound like the “real” Dr Tyler and this is jarring as the film continually skips back to the older footage.  I might as well mention at this point that there are strong suspicions that the “real” Dr Tyler was in fact an actress named Charlotte Milchard who was identified in the final credits as a Nome resident.  If that is true, then the plain fact is that Milchard gave a remarkable, inspired performance which unfortunately meant that Jovovich paled in comparison. 

In a sense, it is quite disappointing that they presented the film in this way and used the technique of a mock-documentary.  If they had just focused on the plot and stopped trying to convince audiences that it was a true story, they could have delivered a pretty terrifying story.  Without giving the storyline away too much, the facets of the screaming, distortion and the Sumerian voices is pretty interesting and scary but this film was executed really badly.

The Blu-ray release of The Fourth Kind features deleted scenes which didn’t really add any value to the film.  In many cases, they were scenes that were redone as opposed to storylines that were left out completely and there were so many of them too that it got pretty monotonous.  Naturally, the Blu-ray browsing and navigation is infinitely more seamless than that of the DVD format and is a definite bonus.

The greatest benefit of watching Blu-ray films is the enhanced video and audio quality.  The 1080p high definition quality of this release is most evident in the aerial scenes of Nome as we see breathtaking vistas of the mountains and the surrounding areas.  Colors and depth seem that much more striking and the image is noticeably crisper.  However, as this film relies so much on "archived footage" designed to look jumpy and grainy, I wouldn't say this is the best example of Blu-ray quality I have seen.

The audio is impressive with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track and it made for an incredible experience at one stage.  The alien was speaking in Sumerian and Dr Tyler reported hearing it inside her head.  As the distorted and furious voice rose, it almost felt for a time that I was enveloped in the sound and that the alien was inside my head.  Such is the benefit of a great sound system and Blu-ray technology

The best feature of the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live featurette which includes “The Four Kinds” and paranormal writer and researcher Marie D. Jones discussing the film and paranormal phenomenon in general.  Of course, she sounds bat crazy but it is a very interesting featurette.  Thank goodness for the iPhone application “pocket BLU” which now allows you to easily sign in to BD-live using the iPhone keyboard.

I wouldn’t recommend The Fourth Kind which is quite sad really as I am still thinking about the themes and plot of the film but it was badly done.

This review appeared first on BlogCritics.org.  I was provided a copy for review by SpecialOpsMedia and all opinions in this review are my own.

Nominations for 55th Ivor Novello Awards announced

Nominations for the 55th annual Ivor Novello awards were announced today. Introduced in 1955, the awards recognise achievements for songwriting and composing and are presented by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA).  The awards will take place in Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London on Thursday 20 May 2010.

 

The nominations are as follows:

BEST CONTEMPORARY SONG

Song: Bonkers
Writer/s: Dylan Mills / Armand Van Helden
Performed By: Dizzee Rascal
UK Publisher/s: Notting Hill Music / Bug Music

Song: Daniel
Writer/s: Natasha Khan
Performed By: Bat for Lashes
UK Publisher/s: Chrysalis Music

Song: In For The Kill
Writer/s: Elly Jackson / Ben Langmaid
Performed By: La Roux
UK Publisher/s: Big Life Music

BEST SONG MUSICALLY AND LYRICALLY

Song: Save It For Someone Who Cares
Writer/s: Nick Hemming
Performed By: The Leisure Society
UK Publisher/s: Notting Hill Music

Song: The Fear
Writer/s: Lily Allen / Greg Kurstin
Performed By: Lily Allen
UK Publisher/s: Universal Music Publishing / EMI Music Publishing

Song: The Last Bus
Writer/s: Ed Adlard / Will Adlard / Ali Digby / George Eddy
Performed By: Patch William
UK Publisher/s: Chrysalis Music

BEST TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK

Broadcast: Desperate Romantics
Composer: Daniel Pemberton
UK Publisher/s: Moncur Street Music

Broadcast: Life
Composer: George Fenton
UK Publisher/s: Shogun Music Ltd

Broadcast: Red Riding 1974
Composer: Adrian Johnston
UK Publisher/s: Manners, McDade and McCleery Music

ALBUM AWARD

Album: The Duckworth Lewis Method
Writer/s: Neil Hannon / Thomas Walsh
Performed By: The Duckworth Lewis Method
UK Publisher/s: Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Album: Sunny Side Up
Writer/s: Paolo Nutini
Performed By: Paolo Nutini
UK Publisher/s: Warner/Chappell Music

Album: Tongue N' Cheek
Writer/s: Nicholas Detnon / Dylan Mills
Performed By: Dizzee Rascal
UK Publisher/s: Notting Hill Music

PRS FOR MUSIC MOST PERFORMED WORK

Song: Broken Strings
Writer/s: James Morrison / Fraser T Smith / Nina Woodford
Performed By: James Morrison featuring Nelly Furtado
UK Publisher/s: Sony/ATV Music Publishing / Chrysalis Music

Song: The Fear
Writer/s: Lily Allen / Greg Kurstin
Performed By: Lily Allen
UK Publisher/s: Universal Music Publishing / EMI Music Publishing

Song: The Promise
Writer/s: Nick Coler / Miranda Cooper / Brian Higgins / Kieran Jones / Tim Powell / Jason Resch / Carla Williams
Performed By: Girls Aloud
UK Publisher/s: Warner/Chappell Music

BEST ORIGINAL FILM SCORE

Film: Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Composer: John Powell
UK Publisher/s: EMI Music Publishing

Film: Skin
Composer: Helene Muddiman
UK Publisher/s: Mack Mummy Music Publishing

Film: The Young Victoria
Composer: Ilan Eshkeri
UK Publisher/s: Cutting Edge Music

BEST ORIGINAL VIDEO GAME SCORE

Game: Empire: Total War
Composer/s: Richard Beddow / Richard Birdsall / Walter Mair / Lorenzo Piggici / Simon Ravn
Developer: Creative Assembly
UK Publisher/s: SEGA

Game: Killzone 2
Composer/s: Joris de Man
Developer: Guerrilla Games
UK Publisher/s: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe

Game: Savage Moon: Waldgeist
Composer/s: Armin Elsaesser
Developer: Fluffy Logic
UK Publisher/s: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe

Music Review: Hypernova - Through The Chaos

Imagine a world where your vote doesn’t count, rock concerts and dancing are forbidden and cultural expression is repressed.  Imagine if your president banned all Western music from state-run airwaves and where playing rock music could lead to fines, imprisonment or even public flogging.  This is the reality facing young people in Iran and the setting from which one of the strongest rock bands in years has emerged.  Unlike the star that they are named after, Hypernova is in no danger of collapsing anytime soon.

Hypernova is a four-piece band originally hailing from Tehran, Iran made up of vocalist Raam, Kodi on guitar, Kami on drums and Jam on bass.  The band were regulars in the underground music scene in Iran and played numerous secret gigs before making an exodus to the United States.  Now based in New York, their explosive gigs have been gaining attention and their debut album Through The Chaos has been released this week.

It is difficult to pin down Hypernova’s sound as it moves through a variety of styles and deals with themes ranging from the repression in Iran to songs about love.   Hypernova describe their sound as "a futuristic version of Joy Division meets the Chameleons with a little bit of Che Guevara".  At times, there is a definite old school gothic sound to some of their music, reminding me of Paradise Lost and The Sisters of Mercy and in fact, Hypernova opened for the latter on their tour of the US in 2008.  Other songs have a more indie rock feel to them and Raam’s distinctive voice puts me in mind of Interpol and Editors.

Whatever their influences and however you define their sound, Hypernova are a solid rock band with an energetic and distinctive sound.  The band members are acutely aware of how much they have sacrificed to be where they are but the album is not all about politics and social commentary as Raam explains: “There are a number of things that we touch upon in this album, whether it be social and political themes or just songs about love.  Mostly the songs are about our own lives and all the stuff we've been through to make it here to the States. It all started from a dream we had back in the underground to one day come and play just one show in New York. We faced so many difficulties to get here but never gave up and always stood strong in the face of adversity.”

Through The Chaos starts off with the energetic “Universal”, a song replete with grinding guitars and classic indie basslines.  The powerful anthem “Viva La Resistance” follows and there is no doubt that this song is about the situation in Iran.  The lyrics refer to defying the guns and lies, “dancing like you’ve never danced before” and feeling like you’ve never felt before.  It is without a doubt the most kinetic, relevant song of protest I have heard in years.  A theme emerges in the album as they describe literally having to fight for their right to party in a way that the Beastie Boys couldn't have imagined in their wildest nightmares.  And it makes you want to join them.

The stage is then set for a powerful, emotive album that takes you from the dizzying heights of “Lost In Space” to the disarming depths of “Here and Now”.  While some albums tend to peter out in the last couple of tracks, Through The Chaos blows you away on the eighth track with the single “Fairy Tales”.  In a word, it is fantastic and the excellence continues with the unsettling “Monster In Me”.  The album closes with “See The Future” which is a perfectly upbeat way to end the album.

 

 

It is hard to apply superlatives and maintain a sense of professionalism and objectivity when reviewing an album but Through The Chaos was such a surprise that I am willing to take the risk.  It is more than where they have come from and how the band members have suffered for their art.  This is a brilliant album that will appeal to a broad range of music lovers.

Hypernova's debut album Through the Chaos was released on Narnack Records.  It was produced by Herwig Maurer and mixed by Sean Beaven (Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt, Marilyn Manson). You can listen to the entire album at Last.fm or you can listen to the Spinner Full CD listening Party.

Music Review: The Places Between: The Best of Doves

It has been just ten short years since Doves burst onto the music scene with their epic brand of indie rock.  The band has soared to dizzying heights with their first two albums Lost Souls (2000) and The Last Broadcast (2002) being nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.  The Last Broadcast and their third album Some Cities (2005) reached number one in the UK albums chart while their 2009 album Kingdom of Rust reached number two.  This is a band that can seemingly do no wrong in the eyes of the British music public and they return in 2010 with a best-of compilation and a new single, “Andalucia”.

The Places Between: The Best of Doves is a multi-format set consisting of a double CD and DVD. 

 

Disc One - The Best Of

The first disc consists of the best songs and biggest hits from their four studio albums.  This is a definitive sample of the songs that have made Doves so popular and it is an absolutely cracking collection.  It includes the groundbreaking hits from their first album Lost Souls such as “Here It Comes” and “The Man Who Told Everything” and the phenomenal “Jetstream” from their album Kingdom of Rust. 

The songs on the album have not been ordered in chronological order of release and the band have taken painstaking care to arrange the tracks specifically in the way that they wanted their fans to experience the album.  This really works as their four albums varied quite significantly in terms of influences and sound.  For example, The Last Broadcast had strong psychedelic rock influences such as King Crimson while Kingdom of Rust was a bold album with snatches of disco, spaghetti western themes and electronic beats. 

The first disc also features the brand new single “Andalucia”, an upbeat and energetic single that is sure to please the crowds when the band plays at this year’s Isle of Wight Festival.

Disc Two  - Rarities, B-sides and alternate versions

The second disc begins with another new recording, “Blue Water” which reminds me of Karl Wallinger’s World Party.  It is a fabulous song and one that I’d like to see released as a single.  The rest of the disc is a rather laid back cross section of solid and mostly unknown songs.  The disc has a serious, downbeat sound and should have a great appeal to fans and new listeners alike.

Disc Three – Selected Videos

The third disc is a DVD and is reason alone to buy the set as it includes the videos to some of Doves’ greatest hits including “The Cedar Room”, “Sea Song” and “Here It Comes”.

It seems strange that a band riding the crest of such a huge wave of success would decide to bring out a best-of album at this stage.  The band have assured fans that they are simply taking a break from song writing and that they intend to tour for a while.  Hopefully, this album will tide fans by until they release more new material.

I’d always liked Doves but it took this collection to make me love them.  Hearing so many great songs in one collection made me realise just how much great material they have released over their career and I do believe the second disc will keep me going until they come back with more.  I would certainly recommend the three disc set of The Places Between: The Best of Doves (even if you already have all the albums) because of the new materials, the b-sides and rarities and of course, the videos.

The Places Between: The Best of Doves is due out in the UK on April 6, 2010 and in the US on April 20, 2010.

DVD Review: Paranormal Activity

 

Paranormal Activity has been billed as the most terrifying film of the decade and it comes with a strict warning: Don’t Watch It Alone! But seriously, how frightening can it be?

Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherston) are a young, middle class couple that have moved into their first starter home.  They have been repeatedly disturbed by a strange phenomenon that is most active in the middle of the night when they are sleeping.  A day-trader by profession, Micah is a lover of all things technological and electronic; so determined to shed some light on the paranormal activity, he buys a high definition video camera and sets it up at the foot of their bed.

Paranormal Activity was filmed with a handheld camera over one week in first-time director Oren Peli’s San Diego home at a cost of just $15,000.  It is based on the same premise as the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project and the audience is led to believe that these are real events that have been pieced together from Micah’s film archives.  The handheld camera adds to the realism of the film and scenes are filmed throughout the house with the majority of the filming taking place in the couple’s bedroom.

There is no doubt that something is going on in the house.  You never actually see the entity but doors open and close, bumps and noises occur throughout the house and Katie has several sleep-walking experiences.  This is not your average horror-slasher film but instead, the suspense builds up throughout the film as Katie and Micah become more frantic and traumatized.

Truth be told I enjoyed this film far more than I expected to.  At about 90 minutes long, it is just the right length and keeps the suspense going until things speed up towards the end.  I was surprised to see that this was the feature debut for both Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston as their performances were really good.  In fact, Katie Featherston won the Best Actress award at the 2007 Screamfest.

 

What then of the warning not to watch the film alone? Well, the thing is, had I watched the film alone then I might have been spared the embarrassment of having my entire family see me screaming three times in quick succession at the end of the film.  The ending is pretty good and quite a surprise so I found myself screaming for the first time in years!

The region 2 release has an audio commentary with Oren Peli and the original ending to the film too.  I really prefer the way the film ended in the theatrical release and I am glad that they changed the ending after initial screenings.  The best of the special features is the “Film Your Own Paranormal Activity” short film winners.  At the end of the UK screenings of the film, viewers were encouraged to shoot their own paranormal short films.  You can view all of the 3 minute entries at Icon’s ‘Prepare To Be Scared’ YouTube channel but the UK DVD and Blu-Ray release features the ten finalists in the competition.

Would I recommend Paranormal Activity?  Definitely.  It is short, thrilling and scary, just like a good horror should be.  Whereas Blair Witch Project was underwhelming after all the hype, Paranormal Activity actually is that scary and certainly worth a viewing.

The Red Riding Trilogy soundtrack

The Red Riding trilogy is a dark and often disturbing series of three feature length films.  Set in Yorkshire, England in the 70s and 80s, the films are based on David Pearce’s crime thrillers.  Though fictional, the stories focus on real-life crimes such as the infamous Yorkshire Ripper murders and the atmosphere of paranoia and police corruption is a central feature in both the films and the books.

The three films were vivid and powerful in bringing these stories to life and part of what makes the films so gripping is the excellent scores accompanying each film.  Music for each film is scored by a different composer and each one picks up on the tone, atmosphere and darkness of the story in a different way.

Red Riding 1974

In Red Riding 1974, a reporter Eddie Dunford (Andrew Garfield) from the Yorkshire Post tries to investigate the disappearance of several young girls but lands up getting caught in a massive web of police corruption.  The music for this first film is scored by Adrian Johnston who has written over 20 film scores including Brideshead Revisited.  He  won an Emmy award for his score for Shackleton in 2002 and a BAFTA for the 2007 show Capturing Mary.

There is a beautiful refrain that flows through several of the tracks on the score and it is at times deeply moving and quite sad.  Adrian Johnston’s score is perfect for the film and conveys the atmosphere of Red Riding 1974 well but it is also an excellent purchase and a must-have for score lovers. 

Red Riding 1980

It is 1980 and the Yorkshire police are investigating the Yorkshire Ripper murders.  In the midst of the corruption, Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine) is brought in to investigate the murders but lands up getting too deep.  The music for Red Riding 1980 is scored by Dickon Hinchliffe who again uses the technique of running the same haunting refrain through several of the tracks.  Hinchliffe is a founding member of British band Tindersticks and  has been composing scores since 2002.  His orchestral arrangements were a trademark feature of Tindersticks’ music and his lilting and haunting string arrangements capture the atmosphere of intrigue and trepidation in Red Riding 1980 perfectly. 

Special mention must be given to the final track on the album “Peace At Last”.  This is a masterful and beautiful composition that is both uplifting and deeply moving.  It is a fantastic finale to a great album.

Red Riding 1983

It is in Red Riding 1983 that all of the questions from the previous two films are finally answered and we learn of the role that Maurice Jobson (David Morrissey) had throughout the story as well as the ominous Reverend Martin Laws (Peter Mullan).  The music for this final film is scored by Barrington Pheloung, a prolific composer perhaps best known for his composition of the Inspector Morse theme. 

This score is perhaps the lightest and most uplifting of the three scores but at times it reflects the dark themes that the story covers in this final instalment.  This is the shortest of the three scores and in the US, Red Riding 1974 and Red Riding 1983 have been released together as one album.

 

Written as they are to accompany a film and convey part of the story, scores don’t often succeed as stand alone albums.  That is the beautiful thing about these three scores.  You don’t have to have seen the films in order to appreciate the haunting and moving tracks and all three albums are likely to remain on my playlist for quite some time.  It would be difficult to recommend one of the scores over the others but if I had to, I would recommend Red Riding 1974 as this is certainly the most atmospheric and striking of the three scores.

Site news: PR4, giveaways, email subscriptions and more!

PR4 – Yay!

I don’t think I’ve ever done a site news here before but I thought it was about time! The nice news is that Google redid their whole page rank thingy over the weekend and this blog now has a page rank 4.  It is not the biggest thing on earth but it is always nice to see your efforts rewarded!

Upcoming competitions

To celebrate, I have decided to host a couple of giveaways and I have put a poll up in the sidebar to this end.  Make sure you vote on which which book you’d like to see being offered first and remember that you can vote for more than one.

The giveaways will have two components – readers can enter into the competition (no purchase is necessary!) and I will also be giving away ad spots on this blog for those who help me promote the competitions.

Email subscriptions

Following on the success of email subscriptions on my other two blogs, I have decided to offer email subscription on this blog too.  The subscription box is currently half way down my left side bar.

Rebranding

I’ve been trying to prettify this blog for some time now and to make it a place where people will want to visit.  One of the changes has been to change the name from “Emm Media” to “Addicted to Media”.  It makes more sense this way as I consume so much media that it does seem to be an addiction at times.  It is a work in progress though and one of these days I will probably take David Tennant’s face out of the header and widget as he’s not the Doctor anymore, is he?

This is what my widget looks like at the moment though and I’ll probably use it for a couple more weeks.

BlogCritics!

I became a BlogCritics writer in January and it has been a lot of fun!  I recently wrote my 25th article for them but will continue to post all of the relevant articles here too.  My writer profile is here: http://blogcritics.org/writers/emm.  The significance of this is that I do now officially accept books, music and films for review so feel free to contact me if you’d like me to review your material.

I think that is all for now so get voting on the right sidebar!

Review: Black Swan – Athlete

Athlete are an indie rock band hailing from Deptford which is just outside of central London in England and they are known for their brand of emotive rock mixed with electronic sounds.  Their first album Vehicles & Animals earned them a Mercury Music Prize nomination in 2003 and the passionate single “Wires” from their second album Tourist won the Ivor Novello Award for "Best Contemporary Song” in 2006. 

Their third album Beyond the Neighbourhood was released in 2007 and was viewed by many as somewhat of a disappointment.  While Athlete had been quirky and imaginative with their first two albums, it seems that they were aiming too much for the radio-friendly sound that would appeal to the mainstream.   That criticism alone could have caused many a band to falter and enter into a never ending cycle of trying to please their fans.  Instead, Athlete have returned with a solid album that reflects the turmoil, excitement, disappointment and achievements of the past three years.  It is not unlike a piece of art that will have listeners pondering over the inspiration for each song on the album.

The album is called Black Swan.  The “Black Swan Theory” describes the idea that something we once thought was impossible could be found later to exist.  (It derives from the idea that black swans were once though to be impossible but were later discovered in Australia).  This is an idea that appealed to the band members of Athlete.  "Millions of people had looked at the world in a certain way for so long," says Athlete frontman Joel Pott, "but it only took one sighting to blow it all apart."  Athlete have adopted this idea as the central theme for their latest album to explain the devastating effect that such events can have on the lives of people. 

For this is not simply a random selection of ten songs designed to generate massive radio play and album sales.  In 2008, Athlete parted ways with their label Parlophone in the midst of the near-implosion of EMI.  Everything they worked for in the past four years suddenly amounted to nothing but by some major stroke of luck, they had already built their own studio and could start recording new songs.  It still meant that resources were limited and they had to embark on an American tour without drummer Stephen Roberts.  Indeed, there were times when they knew that they could only afford one more payment on their mortgages. 

Another stroke of luck meant that the regarded producer Tom Rothrock (Foo Fighters, Elliot Smith, Elbow, Beck) was willing to work with them despite the absence of a label but that meant that the album was essentially mixed online as Tom was in America and the band were in England.

On the personal front it was a difficult time too as the band lost close relatives and two of the band members found out that their wives had miscarried on the same day.  There was another miscarriage scare while the band was on tour in America as well as the normal trials and tribulations of family life.

So what of the album that has emerged from all of this bedlam? 

Listening to this album is like going on a journey with the band and everything they have experienced in the past couple of years.  There is a theme running through the album of inspiration, overcoming adversity and pushing through the overwhelming odds stacked against you.  This is expressed in the uplifting and positive opening track “Superhuman Touch” and the determination of “The Unknown”.   There are energetic songs which speak of love and the joy of family, such as “Light The Way” and “Magical Mistakes” but there are also moving songs speaking of loss, insecurity and pain, such as “Black Swan Song” which is about the death of Joel’s grandfather and “Don’t Hold Your Breath” written about when his wife was admitted to hospital with a possible miscarriage.

The strongest song on the album and the one which I could easily play on repeat is “Love Come Rescue”.  This is a powerful and moving song that reminded me of the super ballads of U2.  My only complaint is that it is too short.

Athlete sounds a lot like other bands in the indie rock genre.  There are shades of Snow Patrol and Keane running through the album and indeed, U2.  It is clear that they put all of their hearts and souls into this album and this is reflected in the deep, thoughtful lyrics.  The album is cohesive and easy to listen to but it seems to be missing a sense of the band’s identity, that sound that makes them undeniably ‘Athlete’.  I like it when bands shake it up a bit and explore new areas but they really had something with “Wires” that seems to be missing on this album.  I think this is an album that fans will love but I am not sure if it will win over too many new fans. 

Perhaps now that they have signed onto Polydor’s successful Fiction imprint, some work can be put into building up their image and identity. 

You can listen to the first single from the album, “Superhuman Touch” below.