Plus Special Guests

Episode number 2 of the new Plus Special Guests podcast is now available with this weeks special guest Sanjeev Kohli!  

Like movies? Like free stuff? Like feeling sad about death? If you answered yes to any of those, then this competition is for you.

Michael Haneke’s Amour is released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 18. To celebrate (and we really mean celebrate, the film’s a knockout) we have a copy of the film to give away on Blu-ray courtesy of the folks at Artificial Eye, so you can watch old people being old in glorious high definition.

YAY!

All you need to do to win is like our Facebook page and publicly share this screenshot, or follow us on twitter and RT this tweet.

To celebrate our new website and our new sections we are giving away some lovely Gears of War goodies.

Included: Copy of Gears of War 3 on Xbox 360 Limited edition Gears of War 3 book The Art and Design of Gears of War book Gears of War 3 Pyjamas Gears of War 3 collectable miniature figure x2

One runner up will also receive The Art and Design of Gears of War book and one collectable miniature figure.

To win all you need to do is like our Facebook page and publicly share this photo or follow us on twitter and RT this photo.

To celebrate our new website we are giving away some lovely Bastille goodies.

Included: Bastille Singles Club 7′ vinyls – Flaws, Overjoyed & Bad Blood Triangle Pin Badge x 2 Flaws Skeleton Mask x 2

To win all you need to do is like our Facebook page and publicly share this photo or follow us on twitter and RT this photo.

Peace x

The xx - Coexist

[Words by Matt Mansfield]

The highly anticipated sophomore effort from Londoners The xx has been hit with wave after wave of critical fanfare - albeit not to the same extent as their debut. On hearing the record, however, we're not quite as convinced as everyone else. In fact, we're pretty disappointed. There are two major issues with Coexist, both of which which mark something of a devolution for The xx. Firstly, they seem to have abandoned the throwaway romantic sentiments of their eponymous debut in favour of broad, sweeping lyrics. The second thing is the production. Gone is the less is more approach that made them so good in the first place and in come bigger (although not drastically so), more percussive soundscapes.  This isn't to say it's a bad record, it's just not nearly as good or interesting as it should've been. It feels like a step in the wrong direction. Album opener Angels is definitely the highlight, hinting at the Mercury Prize winning band of old, but it acts merely as a bridge between what has been and what is now, and this just shouldn't be the case. In short, Coexist is less personal, less emotional, and less interesting than their debut, and, sadly, it seems The xx have fallen prey to second album syndrome.  Maybe the bar was set too high, but it's definitely been lowered for next time.

The Milk - Tales From The Thames Delta

[Words by Jamie Cockburn]

It may be hard to believe that Tales From The Thames Delta is actually the debut album from The Milk. The album can mistake you into thinking it came from a band who have been releasing music for years.

Opening track ‘Broke Up The Family’ has hints of The Black Keys about it, then follows a swift genre change with ‘Hometown’ where pop and soul come crashing together brilliantly topped off with Rick Nunn’s bringing it all together with the same vibe travelling into ‘(All I Wanted Was) Danger’. The Milk show how versatile a band they are with Tales From The Thames Delta and it is again highlighted with ‘Nothing But Matter’ with it bringing reggae melodies into the album and ‘B-Roads’ allowing R&B and soul influences shine through.

‘Chip The Kids’ has a magical 80’s feel to it.  It is a very upbeat track full of energy that is one of the few consistent features of the album.  Closing track ‘Lay The Pain On Me’ brings the music back to basics. A simple piano track with soft soulful vocals accompanying it.

Tales From The Thames Delta is an extremely mixed up album that cannot be defined by a simple genre and that’s what makes it so good.  It crosses soul, rock and even features a series of hip hop beats and scratches provided by Brad Baloo. The album is a very enjoyable listen and the future is certainly bright for the Essex band.

Spector - Enjoy It While It Lasts

[Words by Matt Mansfield]

Following in the wake of bands like The Pigeon Detectives and The Killers, London five-piece Spector are making quite a stir on the indie music scene – mostly through frontman Fred Macpherson, one of the most opinionated figures in British music. Now, with the release of their debut record, Spector are set to make quite a splash - they certainly talk the talk, but can they walk the walk? Yes, for the most part. Enjoy It While It Lasts is a nostalgic throwback to the mid to late 2000’s, when guitar pop was starting to develop a mainstream following, and bands like The Libertines ruled the roost. But as a record in 2012, it seems wildly out of place –indie music has all but died out in a mainstream, pop-centric sense. Singles Chevy Thunder and Celestine are stadium sized indie-pop tracks, while Twenty Nothing hints at the pains of growing up and growing apart. Yet it’s album closer Grey Shirt and Tie that’s the highlight, a sombre and painfully romantic end to a record steeped in romantic notions of the mid-2000’s. All things considered, Enjoy It While It Lasts is a very good record, but it’s one so rooted in the past that it feels as if it’s arrived in the wrong decade.  Still, as throwbacks go it’s pretty great, and I for one can’t wait for Spector’s inevitable nu-rave follow up.

Passion Pit - Gossamer

[Words by Matt Mansfield]

Following an album as good as Passion Pit’s debut, Manners, was always going to be a tough ask. Manners was, and still is, one of the most accomplished debut records in recent years, and somehow managed to live up to the extraordinary hype surrounding the electropop five piece. 

So it comes as something of a surprise that their follow up, Gossamer, falls some way short of the precedent the band set in 2009. 

Gossamer starts well enough, with Take A Walk picking up where the jaunty synths of Manners left off, before changing tact totally with I’ll Be Alright, a track that wouldn’t be out of place on a Rustie album with it’s cacophonous barrage of multi-layered electronic sounds.

But then it all gets a bit, well, bland. Tracks like On My Way and Carried Away never really catch fire, while Constant Conversation and final track Where We Belong are just flat out dull. 

Album highlight Cry Like A Ghost offers some resistance to this downward spiral of quality, but it’s not enough to make the record anything other than patchy. There are moments that suggest there’s a lot more to come from the band, but it’s evident that Passion Pit aren’t at the top of their game, and although the personal lives of musicians shouldn’t really come into reviews, I think, in this case, the influence of frontman Michael Angelakos’ illness is valid.

That being said, there are moments in Gossamer that suggest there’s a lot more to come in the future. Let’s just hope that they can bring their A game for album number three.

The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten

[Words by Jamie Cockburn]

The Gaslight Anthem are part of a very exclusive group of bands who are actually still making classic American rock ’n’ roll. Their music is simple rock and ‘Handwritten’, their fourth album, is a testament to this.

While the album makes no major leaps or contains great differences from previous releases, The Gaslight Anthem have created an album showing they can adapt classic rock to a modern style. The opening track ’45’ is a potential anthem for the band that can easily join the likes of ‘The 59’ Sound’ in fan favourites. ‘Howl’ is also a contender, showing that the New Jersey boys still know how to make fast paced, catchy rock.

Title track ‘Handwritten’ shows how the band has changed, introducing a more blues inspiration into the album.  ‘Keepsake’, ‘Biloxi Parish’ and ‘Too Much Blood’ all provide a much more Southern sound than we are used to with The Gaslight Anthem, almost reminiscent of Kings Of Leon. Recording in Nashville, Tennessee rather than their east coast roots may have been a contributing factor. 

Final track of the album ‘National Anthem’ is a classic heartfelt acoustic track. It highlights the album and lyrical strength. We can also forgive the band that the guitar tune is just a softer version of ‘Here’s Looking At You, Kid’ from previous album ‘The ’59 Sound’.

While trying not to go down the cliché route of saying that this is a more mature Gaslight Anthem while not forgetting their roots, it shows signs that the band have grown up a lot and the lyrics are a lot more personal. Already having three impressive albums in their catalogue, it would have been a hard task to continue to impress but ‘Handwritten’ is a perfected Gaslight Anthem who have seeked inspiration from all the right places.

Act Of The Week: Chester French

[Words by Jamie Cockburn]

Chester French are an indie-pop duo from Massachusetts, USA who have impressed many during their career but none other than Pharrell Williams who signed them up to his label.

Their latest album 'Music 4 Tngrs' boasts collaborations with some of musics hottest acts such as Pharrell, Travis Barker and Pusha T and Chester French has had previous collaborations with Janelle Monae and Diddy.

Keep an eye on Plus Special Guests and our Twitter for this week for all our updates on Chester French

Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

[Words by Matt Mansfield]

Last summer saw the meteoric rise of LA shock-rappers Odd Future. Surrounded by insurmountable hype and anticipation, the individual members of the troupe, particularly frontman Tyler The Creator, began giving “controversial” interviews, playing crazy shows and not making much music. When the music finally did come, it became clear that this was the least interesting aspect of Odd Future, and the hype began to die down. But then came Frank Ocean. A singer-songwriter on the outskirts of Odd Future, whilst simultaneously carving out a career on his own merits. He released a mixtape, Nostalgia, Ultra, and a variety of tracks on his Tumblr, as well as providing guest vocals for Jay-Z and Kanye West’s collaboration, Watch The Throne. Now, he’s finally released his first solo album, Channel Orange, but is it any good? Unequivocally yes. Yes it is. Frank Ocean has not only surpassed the brilliance of his previous musical output, but built on it, making one of the most interesting, exciting and downright audacious R&B records of the year, if not the decade. Tracks like Pink Matter (featuring Andre 3000), and the Earl Sweatshirt collaboration Super Rich Kids are firmly rooted in hip hop, while lead single Thinkin’ Bout You is a stunning R&B ballad, proving that Ocean is nothing if not flexible. But it’s the epic ten minutes of Pyramids that steal the show. It’s a brazenly ambitious track that suggests Ocean is channeling the flambouyance of Kanye West. And, like Kanye, he pulls it off perfectly. Skimming styles like they’re nothing and closing with an invitation to “air guitar”, Pyramids is a labyrinthine work of real genius, and you won’t hear a more interesting song this year. But then, in saying all that, it doesn’t really matter which songs stand out, as Channel Orange is a consistently intelligent and impressive record from start to finish, and one that can only point to a bright future for Frank Ocean.

Act Of The Week: Tom Williams and the Boat

[Words by Matt Mansfield]

Hailing from the blossoming Kent music scene, Tunbridge Wells folksters Tom Williams and the Boat have quietly (and surprisingly) been making a name for themselves on the live ciircuit.  I say surprisingly not because they don’t deserve their successes – far from it – but because I first saw this band in 2008, on a tiny stage at a, quite frankly, terrible music festival. Now, four years later, they’ve released two albums (one good, one great) and they’ve finally reached the standing they deserve. Stay tuned on Plus Special Guests for the rest of the week for more in the way of Tom Williams and the Boat. It’s gonna be a good’un.

Josh Kumra Interview

[Interview by Jamie Cockburn]

This week have had Josh Kumra as our Act Of The Week. After featuring in Wretch 32's 'Don't Go', the sing/songwriter has gone on to become one of 2012's hottest acts. We caught up with him for a quick chat.

Hi, how are you today?

I'm very good thanks.

How did you get started in music?

I first got into music when my dad got me a guitar for my 13th birthday, as I grew older my album collection grew and my voice slowly got better.

How do you go about your writing process?

As soon as I start to try and write a song it becomes difficult, so whenever I get a spare 5 minutes I will pick up the guitar and start jamming, the best melodies come when I'm not trying too hard. Once i have a catchy and interesting melody I start writing lyrics and building the story.

You have had a busy year, any highlights?

Yes very busy! highlight so far has to be the summer. I know the weather hasn't been great but I have been playing a few festivals and I'm very pleased that people want to hear more of my music.

You are playing a host of festivals this summer, which one would you say you are looking forward to the most?

It would have to be V festival.I played it last year with Wretch 32 and it was the highlight of 2011. We were number 1 at the time and the crowd sang every word back to me. I have great memories of V so im pleased to be playing it this year on my own. 

How did the track ‘Don’t Go’ with Wretch 32 come about?

Wretch 32 heard my version of 'Don't Go' through mutual friends and management, I then got a call from him to arrange sometime in the studio, two weeks later we were in the studio creating the track.

Your album is set to come out in September, what can we expect from it?

Well, its actually been put back to January as we have found a great producer in the form of Mr Hudson and things are sounding very exciting so I don't want to rush it at this stage. You can expect some emotive down tempo songs alongside some beat heavy up beat songs. Something to please everyone.

Who would you say influences your music most?

Musically it would be the greats such as Bob Dylan, Bill Withers and Bob Marley (The 3 B's). I gravitate to emotional and honest music and thats what I try to make.

Finally, if you could choose any act from any era to be your Plus Special Guests, who would you choose?

It would have to be Bob Marley, I'd give anything to be in the company of such a legendary artist. The man has too much soul.

Act Of The Week: Josh Kumra

[Words by Jamie Cockburn]

This weeks act of the week see's us looking at Josh Kumra. You may know Josh after featuring on Wretch 32's number one track 'Don't Go' last summer. 

Josh Kumra's latest single 'Helicopters & Planes' is out a week today, listen and watch the video below.

Look out for his debut album scheduled for release in September.

Catch Josh Kumra live at these festivals this summer:

14-Jul-12 Swindon Big Arts Day Festival

20-Jul-12 Steventon Truck Festival

29-Jul-12 Dorset Camp Bestival

4-Aug-12 Wiltshire Fieldview Festival

11-Aug-12 Newquay Relentless Boardmasters

17-Aug-12 Somerset Strummer Of Love Festival

8-Sep-12 Isle Of Wight Bestival

The King Blues – Long Live The Struggle

[Words by Matt Mansfield]

Britain’s favourite political punk band, The King Blues, have called it quits. This is, in some ways, a great shame, as their music represented the closest modern incarnation of anti-establishment on the Radio One daytime playlist.

But, it’s not all bad, as they haven’t left with saying goodbye. Their latest, and last, album, Long Live The Struggle, was released yesterday, and all that’s left to be decided is whether they’ve gone out with a bang or a whimper.

Well, neither really. For starters, Long Live The Struggle doesn’t even sound like a King Blues record. Gone are the political diatribes and battle cries and in comes slightly melodic guitar based rock. It’s all a bit pop-punk, really – all bravado and no bite. Opening track 'We Are What We Own' sounds like a Flogging Molly b-side, combining crudely constructed rhymes (“You can’t blame the youth/when you ain’t got no proof”) with rockabilly drinking songs. As for its message, it doesn’t build on anything from the previous record, particularly 'The Streets Are Ours', and doesn’t even come close to the so-called punk dynamic of their previous work.

But then maybe that’s not what they’re trying to do. Long Live The Struggle may be a hollow record politically, but in terms of the melodies it’s not that bad. 'Can’t Bring Me Down', in particular, is an explosion of a track, with more in common with Enter Shikari than The King Blues – all screaming and synths. 'This Is My Home', on the other hand, is a far more restrained track, a ballad with boy/girl vocals that’s probably a high-point.

But it doesn’t get much deeper than that and, although Long Live The Struggle is a record that works well enough on a superficial level, it doesn’t really mean anything. And wasn’t that the point of The King Blues in the first place?

Blink-182 - O2 Arena, London 09/06/12

[Words by Jamie Cockburn]

Anyone who grew up in the nineties and early noughties has at least once appreciated a Blink-182 song. The band had pulled in a mixed crowd with ages ranging from preteens, who would have been mere toddlers when the band broke up, to the well-aged heading to the O2 to take in the punk rock legends.

 Scottish rockers Twin Atlantic opened the proceeding in style, impressing the awaiting crowd with band classics ‘Make A Beast Of Myself’, ‘Yes I Was Drunk’ and their album title track ‘Free’.

The All American Rejects followed but were far from impressive.  Opening straight off the bat with ‘Dirty Little Secret’ the sound was poor and vocals were sloppy but they did get better as their set went on but not enough to win you over. 

The curtain finally dropped and we were introduced to Blink as they flew straight into ‘Feeling This’. Mosh pits formed and crowd suffers dragged away by security, as people sang along to every word, an occurrence that happened during nearly every song.

The set list was well worked with classics infused with a few notable tracks from the latest album ‘Neighborhoods’, a hard task to do with so many classic songs sitting in their back catalogue.  Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus kept the crowd entertained inbetween songs with tongue in cheek jokes as well as a slight joke at Tom DeLonge’s unpopularity among many Blink fans (relating back to the break up).  We were even treated to ‘Happy Holidays, You Bastards’ completely in the dark after Tom DeLonge asked for the lights to be turned off. Travis Barker proved to be one of the worlds best drummers as at some points you could not keep your eyes off him in wonderment.

While waiting for the encore, fans at the back of the standing section went nuts as Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus travelled by them making their way to the sound booth to preform a guitar only version of ‘Reckless Abandon’ in the centre of the arena before Travis Barker hit out an epic drum solo to allow Hoppus and DeLonge to make their way back to the stage for the rest of the encore.

Unfortunately the show had to come to an end but it proved that Blink-182 were one of the greats. A band that deserved an iconic reputation who many adore. Blink-182 are modern greats