Flynndie Reviews #52: Top 10 albums of 2014

Written 6th December 2014

Top 10 Albums of 2014

 

So as the jingle of Christmas Bells is nigh on the horizon the start of December also signals the close of 2014 and that time of the year where I try and put together some sort of list of my favourite albums from the past 12 months.  It has to be said 2014 really has been a ‘Cracker’ for fans of Indie and Alternative music and I’ve found myself really enjoying a lot of new records this year from both old and new bands and this has probably been the most difficult in the four years I’ve been doing these reviews to rank this year’s albums, so needless to say any records in this year’s top ten I would highly recommend if you previously missed them.

So put on your dancing shoes and pack your air guitars as we head out on tour and check out 10 of the top albums from 2014.

#10. Reverend and the Makers – ThirtyTwo (Released 24th February)

February saw the release of the fourth album from Sheffield’s own Reverend and the Makers with their latest record ‘ThirtyTwo’.  The album picks-up well from their previous album ‘@Reverend_Makers’ with a more upbeat feel and vibe from the lively, suggestive innuendo opener ‘Detonator’, to some more chilled-out Dance (‘I-Spy’) while ‘The Devil’s Radio’ and ‘Different Trains’ are laced with witty lyrics from The Reverend himself, Jon McLure, before the album closes with solid single ‘The Only One’ followed by a hard, banging dance tune ‘Your Girl’.

Recommended Tracks: ‘Detonator’, ‘I Spy, ‘The Only One’

Personal Favourite Track: ‘Your Girl’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgJcilSxXbo   

#9. Maxïmo Park – Too Much Information (Released 3rd February)

February also saw the return of Newcastle’s energetic, Indie pop-pickers Maxïmo Park with their fifth record ‘Too Much Information’.  Possibly the band’s most diverse album to-date ‘Too Much Information’ saw the band return with their familiar, frantic guitar tracks (‘Give, Get, Take’, ‘Her Name was Audrey’), to subtle, lo-fi electronica (‘Brain Cells’), the jangly 'Lydia, the ink will never dry', a gentle sprinkling of soft, tender moments (‘Leave this Island’, ‘My Bloody Mind’) also thrown in with some playful, groovy numbers (‘Drinking Martinis’, ‘Midnight on the Hill’) which in all saw another fine album added to Maxïmo Park’s back-catalogue.

Recommended Tracks: ‘Give, Get, Take’, ‘Brain Cells’, ‘My Bloody Mind’

Personal Favourite Track: ‘Lydia, the ink will never dry’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8P3SWta0-xw

#8. Nick Mulvey – First Mind (Released 12th May)

If you’re a fan of laid-back, stripped-down acoustic tracks then ‘First Mind’ the debut record from Nick Mulvey is recommended listening.  A beautifully crafted album, laced with charm ‘First Mind’ demonstrates Nick’s vast range of styles while armed with an acoustic guitar featuring charming, gentle pop ballads (‘Fever to the Form’ and the wonderful ‘Meet Me There’), to the tropically sounding ‘Juramidam’ and intricately picked guitar rhythms on ‘Curcurucu’ and ‘Venus’, this is truly a beautiful debut album from a genuinely talented guitarist.
 

Recommended Tracks: ‘Juramidam’, ‘Fever to the Form’, ‘Curcurucu’ 

Personal Favourite Track: ‘Meet Me There’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHqsz81L_jI

#7. Royal Blood – Royal Blood (Released 25th August)

Back in March I was lucky enough to go and see this year’s NME Tour and second on the bill that night was this Brighton duo Royal Blood.  I didn’t know what to expect from this two-piece at the time but after watching them that night, they reminded me a little of another famous two-piece the ‘White Stripes’ but more so I was also impressed with their intense, heavy-rock sound also reminding me somewhat of early sounding Muse and Led Zeppelin.  The band’s eponymous debut album didn’t disappoint either and despite its short running-time of 33 minutes, its more than enough for the band’s large sounding, heavy-bluesy rock to deliver a short-sharp, ferocious kick to the balls and still leave you wanting more, with headline tours for the band now selling out within a matter of minutes.

Recommended Songs: ‘Out of the Black’, ‘Come On Over’, ‘Blood Hands’

Personal Favourite Track: ‘Little Monster’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ere2Mstl8ww

#6. Nine Black Alps – Candy for the Clowns (Released 21st April)

If it’s hard, industrialist rock you are looking for then ‘Candy for the Clowns’ by Manchester’s Nine Black Alps might just be the album for you.  Opening with full-on, no-nonsense rock ‘Novokaine’ to the coasting guitar sounds of ‘Blackout’ and the edgy cool, swaggering ‘Supermarket Clothes’ before industrialist live favourite ‘Patti’.  While midway through the record is the standout track for me featuring some bitter sweet rock on ‘Morning After’.  The band dabble with American college-rock on ‘Take Me Underground’ while the deluxe version of the album closes with a couple of raw acoustic numbers ‘You Don’t Need Me’ and ‘Power Failure'.  ‘Candy for the Clowns’ sees Nine Black Alps deliver another solid, underground guitar album with well-written tracks.

Recommended Tracks: ‘Novokaine’, ‘Supermarket Clothes’, ‘Patti’

Personal Favourite Track: ‘Morning After’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMbC1DgSzrw   

#5. The Rifles – None the Wiser (Released 27th January)

For ‘None the Wiser’ to only be in 5th-place in this list shows some of the quality albums it has been up against this year, as for me this album saw The Rifles really back on top-form.  Returning with some brillantly, fun and catchy mod-rock tracks with openers ‘Minute Mile’ and ‘Heebie Jeebies’, it was perhaps an early indication the band were returning more to their sound of debut album ‘No Love Lost’.  However ‘None the Wiser’ also showcased the band’s sound maturing with the dreamy, acoustic sounds of ‘You Win Some’ and the assured number ‘The Hardest Place to Find Me’ before finishing with epic closer ‘Under and Over’ and this album set the bar high immediately from the start of 2014.

Recommended Songs: ‘Minute Mile’, ‘Heebie Jeebies’, ‘You Win Some’

Personal Favourite Track: ‘Go Lucky’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZTkWuBOzNU

#4. Interpol – El Pintor (Released 8th September)

September saw the return of one of New York’s finest Interpol with their 5th studio album ‘El Pintor’, Spanish for ‘The Painter’ but also doubling as an anagram of the band’s name.  Released 4-years after their eponymous fourth album, for me ‘El Pintor’ saw Interpol back on top form.  Building with a tender guitar-riff and Paul Bank’s distinct vocals ‘All the Rage Back Home’ is a great opener which slowly builds into a full crescendo of a solid guitar track.  The band are noted for their post-punk, brooding guitar sound with intricate guitar riffs found here on ‘Same Town, New Story’ and there are further fine examples here with ‘My Desire’ and standout number ‘My Blue Supreme’.  ‘Anywhere’ and ‘Ancient Ways’ finds the band hitting back with some great full-on guitar rock, and brooding album closer ‘Twice As Hard’ is one of my favourite closing Interpol tracks since ‘Leif Erikson’ from debut album ‘Turn on the Bright Lights’.

Recommended Tracks: ‘All the Rage Back Home’, ‘Anywhere’, ‘My Blue Supreme’

Personal Favourite Track: ‘Same Town, New Story’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZf6OU28e8A

#3. Howler – World of Joy (Released 24th March)

Early Spring saw the return of young Minneapolis upstarts Howler with their second album ‘World of Joy’.   Lead-singer Jordan Gatesmith described this album’s sound as “supposed to be almost like a jukebox at some sloppy bar in Minneapolis” and that really hits the nail on the head with this record.  From the Thin Lizzy sounding opener ‘Al’s Corral’ making a great start to the album, we hear the band sounding like The Ramones on ‘Drip’ and capturing a raw, garage-rock sound with a number of tracks such as ‘Yacht Boys’ and the fun guitar-rock of ‘Louise’.  For me it’s the jangly guitar sounds of ‘Don’t Wanna’ and ‘The itch that creeps through my skull’ that are the standout tracks of this record surely influenced by The Smiths and this second album really saw Howler mature and show a diverse range of tracks they can create on this brilliant record which I’ve had on constant repeat throughout 2014.

Recommended Tracks: ‘Al’s Corral’, ‘Don’t Wanna’, ‘Louise’

Personal Favourite Track: ‘The itch that creeps through my skull’ (live) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQIdb70SelA 

#2. Catfish and the Bottlemen – The Balcony (Released 15th September)

With their full-on explosive, rock ‘n’ roll sound ‘The Balcony’ was the excellent debut album from Catfish and the Bottlemen.  Four young, cocky but fun lads originally hailing from Llandudno, Wales these boys have spent a good number of years dedicated to live touring and honing their explosive rock sound.  With thoughtful opener ‘Homesick’ setting the pace, this quickly gets build on with the excellent track ‘Kathleen’ which I previously described in my review of this album as “Indie-Rock tracks go this is nigh-on fucking perfection”.  ‘Cocoon’ and ‘Pacifer’ further demonstrate the fun, cool, loud rock sounds of this band with infectious guitar riffs and rhythms and lead-singer Van McCann’s distinct, crisp vocals throughout.  The hits continue with further incredibly tight rock tracks ‘Business’ and the up-tempo ‘26’ before closing with the brilliantly cool live favourites ‘Sidewinder’ and ‘Tyrants’. The Balcony features 11 easy-listening but incredibly well-written and exciting rock tracks that will surely see Catfish and the Bottlemen go onto much bigger things. 

Recommended Songs: ‘Homesick’, ‘Cocoon’, ‘Pacifier’, ‘Sidewinder’

Personal Favourite Track: ‘Kathleen’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrrcVxnjJO8 
  

#1. The Twilight Sad – Nobody Wants To Be Here and Nobody Wants To Leave (Released 27th October)

Returning with their fourth album this year were the distinctly Scottish band The Twilight Sad with the incredibly, beautifully crafted ‘Nobody Wants To Be Here and Nobody Wants To Leave’ and finds itself in the #1 spot on my albums of the year list.  Returning with ‘There’s a girl in the corner’ this saw the band retain their brooding, edgy guitar sound while ‘Last January’ featured a more upbeat yet haunting guitar rhythm with the beautifully crafted tales lead-singer James Graham masterly paints on this album.  A dark, thoughtful yet tender and gentle record throughout laced with charming, hauntingly sounding fairy-tales (‘Pills I Swallow’) we also have an agonisingly beautiful standout track with ‘It Never Was the Same’.  This is yet another finely crafted, edgy, haunting record by The Twilight Sad and is one of the standout albums of 2014 for me.

Recommended Tracks: ‘There’s A Girl in the Corner’, ‘Last January’, ‘Pills I Swallow’

Personal Favourite Track: ‘It Never was the Same’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEMA2DYe2zk

 
So that covers some of my favourite albums of 2014. Many thanks for taking the time to read and if you have any recommendations of records for me to check out as well, feel free to leave suggestions in the comments section below or send them across on Twitter.

Here’s to more Alternative, Indie and Rock music in 2015!

Flynny

Flynndie Reviews #50: Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Balcony

Written 14th September 2014

  

Catfish and the Bottlemen – The Balcony

The Band: Van McCann (vocals/guitar), Billy Blakeway (guitar/vocals), Benji Bibby (bass/vocals) Rob Hall aka Dr. Bob (Drums)

This week see the release of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s much anticipated debut album ‘The Balcony’.  Originally hailing from Llandudno, Wales these four young upstarts are hell-bent on making a big impact on the Indie-Rock scene and have been garnering some serious attention and airplay from the likes of X-FM, Zane Lowe and Steve Lamacq, thus gaining the band a lively and intense fan-base.  I’ve been closely keep an eye on these lads for about three-years now upon hearing early single ‘Broken Army’ (previously reviewed in Flynndie Reviews #25) and listening to their debut EP ‘The Beautiful Decay EP’ a ridiculously obscene amount of times upon its release.  Having been lucky enough to catch the band live on a number of occasions I can confirm that Catfish and the Bottlemen seriously deliver a full-on rock ‘n’ roll assault live and on a number of times I have walked out of their gigs overhearing people saying “Wow that band were just fucking amazing!”  So with a lot of anticipation and building hype how does ‘The Balcony’ shape up then?

The Balcony:

1. Homesick
2. Kathleen
3. Cocoon
4. Fallout
5. Pacifier
6. Hourglass
7. Business
8. 26
9. Rango
10. Sidewider
11. Tyrants

Opening track and previous single ‘Homesick’ starts with a stripped-down guitar riff from front-man Van and lines “I got mislead, mistook, discard/Anything that I said/See I’m not the type to call you up drunk/But I got some lies to tell” and an almost calypso drum-rhythm from Dr. Bob before it gets into full-swing after with a great chorus “I said “I’m only looking out for you”/She said “it’s obvious that’s a lie”/I only ever put out for you/You know it’s obvious you don’t try” which gets the record off to a great start.  However, if ‘Homesick’ is a great opener then it’s second track and previous single ‘Kathleen’ that starts showing the full potential of Catfish and the Bottlemen “You’re Simpatico/And of all the lifts home/And all the mixed feelings/You’re cuts above/And you don’t own worries/Or a chest full of heartache” as the band continue their tight sound with some nice guitar licks from Billy and perfectly timed bass from Benji giving this track a delightful rhythm and groove to it while featuring an infectious chorus as Van belts out “I gotta give it to you/You give me problems!/When you’re not in the mood”.  As Indie-Rock tracks go this is nigh-on fucking perfection.  ‘Cocoon’ continues the smooth groove on the album so far building with rocky drumming and bass, before effortlessly coasting along with crisp, clear vocals again from Van “I remember when we swapped names/And I thought maybe/You’d stay and try and outdrink me/Your friends all hated it” followed by “Fuck it if they talk/Fuck it if they try and get to us”.  This is a smooth track, with particularly great guitars, drums and bass over the bridge before the chorus.

Fourth track ‘Fallout’ features sharp guitar strums and accompanying bass notes and percussion, the band still continue a nice smooth sound here with an edgy chorus “And we just always seem to just fallout/When I’m most in need of it/You just seem to call out/When I’m up for leaving it” you can tell the band really believe what they’re into here and enjoying themselves on this track.  Much like second track ‘Kathleen’, ‘Pacifier’ captures the core-sound of Catfish and the Bottlemen here with another excellent Indie-Pop Rock track “Oh but babe/You know I tried and failed/But you just don’t know how it feels/To lose something/You never have and never will” before the track rocks out in its final third with Van repeating the track-title “I’m her pacifier/I’m her pacifier”.  It’s another very instant and incredibly catchy tune yet sounds pulled off with effortless ease here by the band.  ‘Hourglass’ showcases a lesser seen side of the band as Van picks up acoustic guitar here, with a driving, backing bass rhythm here from Benji, it’s a sweet and tender track midway through the record and builds up steady layers with gentle backing vocals, light-drums and even charming piano notes, a surprising ballad to be found here on the album.

• Catfish and the Bottlemen previously stormed through a set at London's the 100 Club back in 2013 

Getting back much more up-tempo, ‘Business’ goes back to Catfish’s full-on, ballsy rock.  Another strong track pulsing along with driving bass and percussion “I wanna make you my business/I wanna tolerate drunk you honey/I wanna make you my problem” another very instant track featuring some nice guitar work here and a nice guitar solo midway through, meanwhile ‘26’ was previously an opening live favourite and one which I always thought was a great track that the band opened with and the final recording here further confirms that with a fast accelerating guitar rhythm driving away at it “I’ll come/Based on/Facts like/She’ll be there/Making self-control”.  This is a fast-paced and no-nonsense track.  Previously another early single ‘Rango’ remains upbeat and tight guitar-rock with smooth vocals here from Van a particular highlight “You see Abby she’s got to wait/Until she gets you on your own/She’ll make you make mistakes/And you can offer to take her home” and this track features a really nice guitar solo from Billy in its latter stages and is generally another very likeable track. 

So far ‘The Balcony’ has been some ride and then track 10 ‘Sidewinder’ hits you!  This is full-on, ballsy rock with an amazing opening guitar-riff.  This track previously featured on the band’s ‘Beautiful Decay EP’ but is such a strong track in its own right that it just had to feature on this debut record with some of my favourite lines on the album “Give me some/Assumptions I/Can make of you/Cause you’re getting lazy/You used to frustrate me” and “Whoever/You’re mixing/Your drinks with/Is dying to/Go to town on you”.  This is another seriously solid track before the album closes with another live favourite and another track from their previous debut EP which has been re-recorded here, ‘Tyrants’, which has a raw industrialist hard-rocking vibe about it and a particularly nice closing guitar and rhythm featuring some great closing lines “Tyrants helped build us/Then they won’t/Mind throwing it away”.  It’s another great track to close this debut album with the fiercely rocky instrumental ‘Trippin’’ tagged on to the end of the album nicely much like the band’s live shows.

• The Bottlemen tear through another dynamic and energetic set at The Borderline

As I said at the start of this review I’ve been closely keeping an eye out for Catfish and the Bottlemen as one to watch and have always been patiently looking forward to this debut album ‘The Balcony’ over the past three years.  As time went on I was a little apprehensive as to the final sound of this album what with high hopes for this band but I have to say these four young lads have delivered a debut album they should be very proud of.  There are many strong tracks on this record with for me personally ‘Cocoon’, ‘Pacifier’ and particularly ‘Sidewinder’ and ‘Kathleen’ being amazing highlights from this bright, young band and I’m going to give ‘The Balcony’ an unprecedented 10 Pacifiers out of 10 as this is a quality debut record.  Every 5 years or so a band comes along which just changes the game and for me Catfish and the Bottlemen are the real fucking deal.  Their music is no-nonsense ballsy rock about being young and in complicated relationships something everyone can relate to but they back them with amazing guitar riffs and rhythms and ‘The Balcony’ doesn’t disappoint.  The band look and sound great and are amazing live probably due to their sheer dedicated commitment to live touring over the past 7 years, so try and catch them in small venues while you can as I can only see this band going all the way on to much bigger things.

 

Simpatico

‘Flynny’

Track 1 ‘Homesick’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhfXl1OefI8

Track 2 ‘Kathleen’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgW67efQduY 

Track 5 ‘Pacifier’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX1sJClsQxE

Track 10 ‘Sidewinder’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWvN42M8JWQ  

Band website:
www.catfishandthebottlemen.com

Flynndie Reviews #34: Top 10 Albums of 2012 - Part 1

Written 4th December 2012:

Top 10 Albums of 2012 – Part 1

So following on from last year, I’ve decided to compile my favourite Indie/alternative albums from the past 12 months and list my personal favourite selections here again. I personally think 2012 has been quite a good year in general for fans of Indie and alternative music, with the main theme seemingly to be all about ‘the comeback album’ with quite a few bands returning with either their eagerly anticipated follow-up to a decent debut record but also in some cases the long-awaited return from popular, fan-favourite bands with the big question being: “Have they still got it?”

I’ve again decided to split this Blog into two parts with 5 albums each and of course these choices are just my personal preferences. I have no special criteria in picking which album I’ve rated higher than another, after all this list is purely for fun, other than which albums I’ve genuinely enjoyed listening to the most through the year. Yet even putting this list together it has really taken me quite some considerable time to pick an order for the ‘top ten’ so basically if an album appears on this list then at the end of the day it’s an album I would recommend checking out. You may also notice that I’ve rated some albums I previously reviewed with a lower mark higher than others but this is purely because of what mark I gave the albums when I reviewed them at their time of release while this list focuses more on what I’ve eventually found myself listening to more during the course of 2012.

Anyway, that’s enough of the introductory waffle for now, let’s pack our air guitars and head out on tour, starting in Llandudno, Wales…

#10. Catfish and the Bottlemen – Beautiful Decay EP (Reviewed in Flynndie Reviews Blog #25 – 8/10)

Right, so I’m ‘breaking the rules’ slightly on the list straight away by sneakily sneaking in an EP at #10 here but having listened to this band a lot in 2012 I felt it would be a shame for them to not feature in an end of year review. So the EP in question is the ‘Beautiful Decay EP’ from Llandudno’s very own Catfish and the Bottlemen. What we have here is an excellent, tight, Indie-Rock 6-track EP, kicking off with two excellent tracks ‘Sidewinder’ and ‘Bodies’ both of which would make great debut singles for most bands. The EP is packed full of the band’s distinctly, incredibly catchy guitar melodies and solos, not too far off capturing the type of sound of some of the early Arctic Monkey’s material in my opinion, while lead-singer Van’s crisp, clear vocals depict tales of the fast-paced, hustle and bustle of life and every day relationships, a tried and tested formula but one that everyone can relate to and really done to great effect here on the record. The most impressive thing about this EP for me though, is how tight and spot on the band are with their timing but this is surely down to the fact that these lads tour relentlessly! Honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen many other bands put in a commitment to a live schedule in 2012 as much as these lads and I genuinely believe they are one to watch for 2013 which will hopefully see the release of a full debut album by them.

Recommended Tracks: ‘Sidewinder’, ‘Harlot’, ‘Tyrants’
Personal Favourite Track: ‘Bodies’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVi-oaZ6Xm0

Catfish and the Bottlemen played Queen of Hoxton earlier this year

#9. The Vaccines – Come of Age (Previously un-reviewed)

Early September saw the return of garage-rock favourites The Vaccines with the follow-up to their 2011 debut ‘What did you expect from The Vaccines?’ with this year’s release ‘Come of Age’. And for me this is an appropriately fitting album title for the band, with this year’s follow-up really seeing the band progress and mature musically from their previously successful debut record. ‘Come of Age’ saw the band cleverly put together a record featuring tracks of nicely written Indie-Guitar-Pop on tracks like opener ‘No Hope’ and ‘Teenage Icon’ to the desperate, urgency on ‘Bad Mood’ to charming tracks ‘Aftershave Ocean’ and ‘I Wish I was a Girl, while yet, and here’s the clever bit, blending them with very much 60’s Blues sounding tracks such as ‘I Always Knew’, ‘All in Vain’ and ‘Weirdo’ and while the mention of Blues may set off alarm bells ringing for some, I genuinely think the band capture the style very well here on this record, giving them a much more distinct identity and really see the band ‘Come of Age’. (Boooooo, terrible pun!)

Recommended Tracks: ‘No Hope’, ‘Aftershave Ocean’, ‘Bad Mood’
Personal Favourite Track: ‘Teenage Icon’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFUKrsDDChE 

#8. Muse – The Second Law (Previously un-reviewed)

Moving swiftly on, 2012 saw the long-awaited return of Muse with their 6th studio album ‘The Second Law’. Arguably one of the biggest band’s in the World these days, there is always extremely high-anticipation when a new Muse album is released and I think that while not quite on par with their first four albums, ‘The Second Law’ mostly delivers another great Muse record to the fans with a few ‘marmite’ tracks on it that you’ll either like instantly or take time to get into. Packed with some great tracks throughout from the very James Bond-esque opener ‘Supremacy’, to the epic building ‘Follow Me’ and then the low-fi piano and bass driven, old-school sounding Muse on ‘Animals’ there are a great range of tracks throughout the record as well as debut lead vocals from bassist Chris Wolstenholme on tracks ‘Save Me’ and ‘Liquid State’. While I initially struggled with previous singles ‘Madness’ and ‘Survival’ they have grown on me with more listens and overall I felt this was another great, ambitious album in Muse’s repertoire, with a hint of Queen thrown in throughout the album as well.

Recommended Tracks: ‘Supremacy’, ‘Madness’, ‘Follow Me’
Personal Favourite Track: ‘Animals’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDmCC0X25QE

#7. Reverend and the Makers – @Reverend_Makers (Reviewed in Flynndie Reviews Blog #28 – 8/10)

Our next album on the list sees us arrive in Sheffield with the return of ‘Reverend and the Makers’. After their excellent debut album ‘The State of Things’ and it’s follow-up ‘A French Kiss in the Chaos’, 2012 finally saw the band return after a long hiatus with their latest effort '@Reverend_Makers'. Going back much more to their roots of the first album, this latest record from the band sees them effortlessly blend a great range of Indie tracks with very much a dance vibe at the heart of them, with tracks like ‘Bassline’ and ‘Depth Charge’ restoring memories of the Hedonistic sounds of the Ibiza Clubbing scene back at the end of the 90’s. However, the real credit to the album has been its success despite very little mainstream airplay and this is because the tracks on the album really stand out on its own and has built a good following via word of mouth. Throw in a bonus CD with remixes and a further few extra tracks and this year’s return from Reverend and the Makers was certainly worth the long wait and a real return to form.

Recommended Songs: ‘Bassline’, ‘Warts ‘n’ All’, ‘The Wrestler’
Personal Favourite Track: ‘Out of the Shadows’ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjq2kiuSikw

#6. Nine Black Alps – Sirens (Reviewed in Flynndie Reviews Blog #32 – 7/10)

From Sheffield we next head to Manchester and the return of Indie, grunge rockers Nine Black Alps with this their latest fourth album ‘Sirens’. This album goes much more back to the band’s roots of the grunge rock which featured heavily on their debut album ‘Everything Is’. Featuring, instant, catchy rock tracks throughout from opening tracks ‘Be My Girl’, ‘Don’t’ Forget to Breath’ and ‘My One and Only’ the album has a real feel of a personal note from the band back to the fans with tracks having a traditional Nine Black Alps feel to them. The album also features cleverly layered Indie tracks that build throughout, for example on the brilliantly titled ‘Phospherence’ and ‘What You Wanted’, but for me one of the stand-out tracks on the album is the brilliant acoustic ballad ‘Waiting Room’, showing the real-depths of song writing the band are capable off. Nine Black Alps still remain quite an underground Indie-Rock band but this album sums up the sound of the band very well and is a good starting-point if you have not heard any material from them before.
 

Nine Black Alps rocking the Borderline back in October

Recommended Tracks: ‘Be My Girl’, ‘Don’t forget to Breath’, ‘Phospherence’, ‘Penny Cinderella’
Personal Favourite Track(s):
‘My One and Only’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAJUdh47tcQ
‘Waiting Room’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFxIzdgZ55Y

So that covers my first five selections in my ‘Top 10 albums of 2012’ list. Needless to say in the 2nd part of this Blog, which I plan to post up within the next week, I shall reveal my top 5 albums of the year!

Still Rocking in 2012
‘Flynny’

Flynndie Reviews - Blog #25: Catfish and the Bottlemen - The Beautiful Decay EP/Broken Army single

Written 16th May 2012:

Catfish and the Bottlemen – The Beautiful Decay EP and Broken Army single

The Band: Van McCann (vocals/guitar), Billy Blakeway (guitar), Benji Bibby (bass/vocals) Dr. Bob (Drums)

So it’s been a while since my last Indie review on here, but I’ve decided to review an EP of a very much up and coming band I’ve recently stumbled across on Twitter and have really being getting into lately Catfish and the Bottlemen. Originally hailing from Llandudno, these four, young Welsh lads are intent on making it big with their explosive, full-on rock ‘n’ roll Indie style, so I’ve decided today to cover their ‘The Beautiful Decay EP’ in today’s review in particular, as from what I’ve heard from the band so far, this EP really encapsulates the sound that they are all about. Also as an added bonus I’ve also decided to review their most recent single ‘Broken Army’.  So let’s get this show on the road then.

The Beautiful Decay EP:

1. Sidewinder
2. Bodies
3. Harlot
4. Collide
5. Tyrants
6. Trippin'

So the EP gets underway with previous early single ‘Sidewinder’, gentling starting with light-guitar strumming, before an early trademark rock ‘n’ roll guitar solo assaults the listener’s ear and sets the pace for the track, and the EP, as a whole. Van’s distinct vocals, paint the picture of a young couple’s relationship with great lines such as “Give me some/Assumptions I/Can make of you/Cause you’re getting lazy/You used to frustrate me” setting the tone of images for the style of songs that the band tend to produce. The infectious guitar solo from the start swaggers in again halfway through the track nicely and on the whole this opening track gets this EP off to a good start.

‘Bodies’ follows up next and steps-up the early pace set by opening track ‘Sidewinder’ by another gear or two, with guitars frantically duelling for supremacy while opening the track before lyrics hint at a couple’s relationship being strained by outside interference of other people. The track has a nice desperate, unwinding instrumental bridge in the middle of it before the powerful lines “Please get me/Away from him/As he’s starting to do my head right in”, and the final part of the track sees the band rocking out nicely, and the song as a whole has a nice pace about it and flows along effortlessly. Third track ‘Harlot’ follows up next and really has a bouncy rhythm to it throughout, yet still retaining the jagged guitar sound that the band achieves throughout the EP. Layered with catchy guitar riffs and solos over it, the track maintains the flow of the record again nicely, and we see some of the more powerful vocals on display on the EP from Van in particular on this track.

Next up ‘Collide’ continues to maintain the momentum of the EP again with duelling guitars throughout it, but this time with some emphasis on distortion backing the fast and furious paced verses, the band effortlessly get the balance between the two just right, probably due to their dedicated, commitment of playing ‘live’ shows. Penultimate track ‘Tyrants’ follows and slows the pace of the EP arguably for the first time but in a good way naturally. Somewhat of a light rock-ballad, the track features guitar with a slight echo effect initially as the track, slowly burns and builds itself through its opening verse, before unleashing bursts of guitar heavy rock. The 2nd half of the track features an excellent Indie riff, again slowly building and closing this excellent track, before blending smoothly into final track ‘Trippin’, an instrumental which sees the band close the EP, in their now familiar style of fast, frenetic guitar-rock.

I’ve been listening to this EP for a few weeks now and I must say it has been on heavy rotation on my playlist of late, simply due to the manner in which the band have effortlessly created their own, unique, catchy rock ‘n’ roll sound, with simple but engrossing tales summing up the parts of their songs.  You can tell that this band really care and believe in the songs they write and prove this with their dedication to constant touring and ‘live’ shows. I would happily award this EP 8 'Tyrants' out of 10, as I’m very much into the band’s big, explosive rock ‘n’ roll sound and I’m really looking forward to an album from Catfish and the Bottlemen, which I’m hoping they may put out later this year. However, for the time being this ‘The Beautiful Decay EP’ is a great introduction to an up-and-coming band that show so much promise, so feel free to check the EP out on the band’s website www.catfishandthebottlemen.com.

But, woooah, hold on, because as I promised earlier I was also going to cover the band’s most recent single ‘Broken Army’ which was actually the first track I heard by the band and was released last month and is also still available from the band’s website. With an initial aggressive, rock riff ‘Broken Army’ is another catchy Indie rock track, but somewhat more at a controlled pace, layered with a nice balance of duelling guitars and distortion, before the track’s infectious chorus bursts through and teases the listener “Keep Breathing/Keep Breathing/Settle down you’re home and I guess you got what you came for” being belted out by Van. It’s an excellent single and I’d advise you to go check it out. The single is backed with b-side ‘Ayatollah’ and is possibly the most alluring track by the band to date, again suggesting and hinting at a young couple’s relationship, the smooth guitar’s throughout gently take the hand of the listener and runs off into the night with the listener being entwined in the tangle of the tale being told by the band here.

So as you can no doubt tell, I’m really liking what I’ve heard so far from Catfish and the Bottlemen, we’re talking good fun, rock ‘n’ roll tracks, that have an air of confidence and a swagger about them but never taking themselves too seriously which in all adds up to a nice, distinct sound for the band and certainly one to keep an eye out for in the future, which I very much plan to do so.

Simply Decaying ‘Flynny’

Single ‘Broken Army’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-GM6z2EqPA

Track 1 ‘Sidewinder’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqR19NYRwXU

Track 2 ‘Bodies’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVi-oaZ6Xm0