Archives for category: Music
Finally the time has come! Siblings, Guy and Howard Lawrence, better known as Disclosure release their debut album upon us.
Jam packed with soul vocalists including the likes of Jessie Ware and Sam Smith over confident bass lines that are reminiscent of 90’s funky house and 2-step. This is home grown electronica at its very best.
It’s been a long time coming for those who recall the slew of tracks ‘Tenderly/Flow’ and ‘Latch’ which hit all the festivals, clubs and house parties late summer 2012. Not forgetting the brilliant remix of Jessie Ware’s ‘Running’.
The boys aren’t shy is asking their mates to guest on tracks and calling in the favours certainly pays off. Appearances can be heard from Ed Macfarlane (Friendly Fires), Jamie Woon and London Grammar (keep an eye out for this new band).
The album as a whole reminds me of something Mylo or The Artful Dodger might have produced and that’s a compliment as dance music’s currently enjoying a bit of rectrospection. However, Disclosure are doing something much cooler and it’s just in time for summer.
Some of the Wonky family saw this band last Friday at Thekla. I love their songs but it was really refreshing to see two females kick it harder and better than I’ve witnessed any boys do in a long time!
Great guitar music with a fresh riot girrl attitude.
Wonky favourite Ladyhawke is back after four years with new album Anxiety, chock full of her signature synth and dressed up electronic beats. Simple lyrics, with catchy melodies that will get stuck in your head. A carefree summer feel to almost every song, musically it’s the closest thing to wearing sunglasses in a nightclub.
Listen to ‘Sunday Drive’ when you can turn it up loud then pretend to play all of the instruments at once. Air everything until you fall over.
Listen to ‘Blue Eyes’ if you’re rubbish at remembering words – the chorus is “nah nah na na nahh”. Simples.
Listen to ‘Vanity’ when you’re ironically preening yourself ready for a night out.
I give this a “get the drinks in, it’s time to dance!” out of 10.
BY NAT3D
It turns out Brightoners Blood Red Shoes can’t be that bored by the sea, as they’ve been busy whipping up third album In Time To Voices and are now gallivanting around the UK and Europe to tour it.
First impression: They’ve toned things down quite a bit, opting for a more sing’y and less shout’y approach which is always fine by me as I like words and hearing them. Knowing exactly what’s said is just a bonus. The album’s actually quite relaxed and melodic which I wasn’t expecting. I think there was almost definitely a keyboard and an acoustic guitar at some point…! Blood Red Who? One thing, there’s a LOT of backing vocal fillers throughout the album… More ooohs and ahhhs than I was expecting, like on almost every song. But it works, so whatevs. Plus it means Laura-Mary sings more, which is great because she has a sexy voice.
Track that I’ll almost certainly always fast-forward: ‘Je Me Perds’ (Great song but it sticks out like a sore thumb)
Track I’d want to hear every morning on the shower radio, if I had one, which sadly I don’t: In Time to Voices (in particular; her voice)
Track that actually makes me feel a serious feeling: ‘Slip Into Blue’ (pretty melodies, great harmonies and some unexpected key changes… three things I’m a sucker for)
I give this a “breaks no new ground, but it’s a happy return” out of 10.
They’re playing at Trinity Arts Centre in Bristol on Tuesday May 1st. Call 01179 299 008 for tickets. We’ve got ours already.
Blood Red Shoes – Stop Kicking
BY NAT3D
Well whodathought, Santigold is back with a new album!
She’s been hanging out with Karen O, TV On The Radio and the Beastie Boys to name but a few. Even had a little name change (were you a bit confused too?!). It’s been absolutely yonks since she released her debut ‘Santogold’ way back in 2008 and we gotta say, we’ve missed her.
She returns with her echoing pop, an army of reggae beats and creeping guitars. Album pleasers are the legendary David Sitek produced ‘Fame‘, ‘Pirate In The Water‘ and ‘Go!’.
Santigold – Go (feat. Karen O)
Santigold – Pirate In The Water
BY LLOYDITRON
Can’t seem to scrub this out of our heads / cd cases.
Late summer in 2010 and a video drops on YouTube with cut-and-paste clips of movie sequences, paparazzi shots and fuzzy home videos. A young girl with model good looks sings in a husky yet delicate voice, cooing a dreamy story about her video gaming bad boy lover. “I heard that you like the bad girls honey, is that true?” The whispering melody and Del Rey’s good looks attracted millions of views.
It became the talk of the town. The town being the internet and it’s people being swarms of bloggers.
A record deal and another single release later, ‘Born To Die’ and we have an album in our hands. A girl from New York’s dreams have become reality. But has Del Rey struck a backlash already?
Critics scoffed up her awkward performance on one of America’s most watched TV shows, ‘Saturday Night Live’. As a shy girl swirled and hunched in an odd way across the screen with slightly plumper lips. “They’re fake”, people shouted. Haters pursued to hate, Hipsters tore apart her lyrics and over analysed every word she’d ever whispered into a recording device.
But what’s at the foundation of all this drama? What’s the album like?
Well, actually, much the same as the first three songs we’ve already heard. Described by her management – much to Del Rey’s dislike – as a gangster Nancy Sinatra, though it seems the most fitting way of describing her sound. Her songs are melodically and thematically romantic. Tinkering between the happy side of bliss and painfully, discomforting heart-ache. The sound of Philadelphia’s Orchestra against hip-hop beats are a smart match, adding more so to that ‘vintage’ sound that has become her niche.
Del Rey’s inspirations are listed as Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan and Eminem. All the greats in their own field of genre.
The best thing I have to say about Lana Del Rey is not the admiration I have for her while she stands elegantly facing toward an online bullying campaign against her. It’s not the way she accidentally swears live on air in the middle of interviews (she’s no robot pop princess). It’s not ‘how she made it’. It’s her lyrics. She can write. I mean really write! She has the ability that so few can do without an army of poets.
Enchanting, eloquent, charming, romantic and honest.
So is Lana the indie version of Rebecca Black or is she yet another manufactured mannequin record-exec bosses invented on Adele’s winter hiatus? Does it matter?! There are always going to be the self proclaimed ‘cool kids’ who want to dislike the material and say they were there at the beginning. It comes with the territory. Something Del Rey is having to learn fast.
Personally, I’m going to take a tip from Lana and put on my rose shaped glasses and press replay.
“He got a soul as sweet as blood red jam / and he knows me, he shows me, every inch of my tar black soul” – Off To The Races
As we look forward to the first Wonky of the new year, some of the resident DJs take a look back at some of their favourite albums and musical moments from 2011…….
MR MORGAN:
Bjork – Biophilia
Metronomy – English Riviera
Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid
Yelle – Safari Disco Club
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
NAT3D:
Ben Howard – Every Kingdom
Jamie Woon – Mirrorwriting
The Kills – Blood Pressures
Foster The People – Torches
Death Cab For Cutie – Codes & Keys
LLOYDITRON:
MEN – Talk About Body
Planningtorock – W
Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials
Tom Vek – Leisure Seizure
Azari & III – Azari & III
And some of our best musical moments for 2011:
Standon Calling – Hertfordshire – Boutique festival extraordinaire
Dot2Dot – Bristol – Bristol’s very own little festival spread across all your favourite venues
LoveBox – London – Killer line-up and their very own ‘gay’ day
Bestival – Isle of Wight – Fancy dress madness to rock and rave out to
Glastonbury! – The biggest, best and classic mudfest.
and who can forget Robyn at The Academy shaking some sexy moves?!
Wonky : Bristol's best & longest running alternative night for homos (and their lovely friends) 