Album Review: Jake Bugg

Jake Bugg // Photo source: danceyrselfclean.com/introducing/jake-bugg

Last Oct. 15, Jake Bugg, a very talented artist from Nottingham, released his first self-titled debut album, which might take over the world, considering his special style, reminding us of a mix between The Beatles and Bob Dylan.

Bugg is only 18 and he seems to come from another decade. His voice sounds like Bob Dylan’s and sometimes like John Lennon’s. His melodies change between Johnny Cash’s and The Beatles’. All of these artists have been great influences on his music. His country/folk album contains 14 wonderful short and sweet tracks and every song has its own style.

            Like a lot of artist, Bugg’s songs talk about love, but he adds the theme of men’s concerns on this matter. In “Someone Told Me,” Bugg’s fingers pinch every strings of his guitar like Dylan would do. His lyrics “Am I crazy or am I blind?/ Someone told me I’m out my mind/ Someone told me a girl I liked/ Fell in love and all I did was cry/ Someone hold me I’m done with this game/ Said I’m sorry, but I’m not to blame, what a shame,” are sang with all Bugg’s heart, like a love letter.

            Of course, not all of the album songs are romantic one. “Lighting Bolt,” one of his first singles, “Trouble Town,” which has a Johnny Cash melody and “Seen It All” are his most upbeat rock’n’roll songs that makes your head tilted from left to right and your shoulder go up and down to the rhythm of the song.

            “I drink to remember/ I smoke to forget," Bugg sings in “Two Fingers.” This song is probably his less folky song and more alternative rock. He’s basically flipping off the world before moving on. As he says in his lyrics, “So I hold two fingers up to yesterday/ Light a cigarette and smoke it all away/ I got out, I got out, I’m alive and I’m here to stay,” this song his about saying goodbye to your problems and moving forward.

            Overall, Bugg’s first LP is flawless. As mentioned earlier, if you like The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, you will love Jake Bugg. He’s definitely an artist to watch carefully and with great interest. Maybe he will make folk music more popular to the teenagers of today, who generally prefer hip-hop, dance and indie music?

             

            

CD Review: Coexist

Coexist by The xx... BOOOOUM

On Sept. 10, the English indie pop band, The xx, released their second album, Coexist, which basically, kicks asses, in every way.

Londoners Romy Madley Croft, lead guitar and vocals, Oliver Sim, bass guitar and vocals, and Jamie Smith, beats and producer, also known as Jamie xx, come back in force for this great album, which has basically the same characteristics as their first hit album, xx, mood-wise.

Croft and Sim’s powerful lyrics based on personal experiences, the bass and The xx’s melancholic beat can be heard on every 12 tracks of the gloomy Coexist, which gives the album all its charm. The lyrics express their mixed emotions throughout the album.

The song “Sunset”, for instance, starts off with many very surprising bass beat, has lyrics such as “I saw you again, it felt like we had never met/ It's like the sun set in your eyes and never wanted to rise/ And what have you done with the one I love,” sang by Croft, with her voice full of sadness.

The second track you have to look for is “Reunion”, which is sung alternatively by Smith and Croft. Its ghost-like rhythm and tones followed by the lyrics, “Reunion, reunion/ Reunion, reunion/ Never not ever, never not ever again/ And it's burning inside 'til you give it up/ How long should I wait?/ There's no need to hide, I let/ Only you in here,” give the song a romantic, but still sad, interpretation of it.

In general, the album is really good. Maybe something different would have been nice for this second great album, but who wouldn’t get enough of the originality of the first CD? The beat is good, the lyrics are genius, and the pictures in the album’s case are very mystical. The xx’s fan wouldn’t ask for more, that’s for sure. Its weirdness and awesomeness, combined in one single music album. It’s a must.

Tips to enjoy the CD to its fullest: listen to it in your car, bass to DA MAX, in your room, with minimum lights, or finally, in the metro, with big headphones. They’ve all been tested and the feeling is awesome. Enjoy!

CD Review: Battle Born

Battle Born by The Killers

On Sept. 18, the Las Vegas based band, The Killers, released their fourth album, Battle Born, which can be seen as their comeback album after four years since their last studio album.

Brandon Flowers, lead vocals and synthesizers, Dave Keuning, guitar and background vocals, Mark Stoermer, bass guitar and background vocals, and Ronnie Vannucci, drums, percussion and background vocals, come back for this album with their usual alternative rock and new wave sound throughout Battle Born. The name of the album comes from the Nevada flag, which can be seen on the top left corner of it. It’s also the name of The Killers’ home studio.

Although the sound of Battle Born is catchy and very “road trip”, the lyrics are definitely the weakness of this album. It’s like an everyday pop album. If you don’t know what this mean, the song “Battle Born” is a perfect example. “You’re up against the wall/ Up against the wall/ Something dying on the Street/ Then they knock you down/ You’re gonna get back on your feet” is a text too simple and it’s a bit déjà vu.

Same problem with their first single “Runaways,” which starts by “Blonde hair blowin' in the summer wind/ A blue-eyed girl playing in the sand/I'd been on a trail for a little while/ But that was the night that she broke down and held my hand,” which is a bit cheesy.

Though the songs’ theme, a very cliché American life, is not really touching our emotions, the opening song, “Flesh And Bones” is far from disappointment. The mix of the percussions, synthesizers and guitars is amazing and Flowers sings with all his heart. This song must be very good during a live show, eh? But now, you had lyrics such as “I’ve gone through life white knuckle/ In the moments that left me behind/ Refusing to heed the yield/ I penetrate the force field in the blind” and this song is definitely part of the best songs of The Killers. Bravo.

In a nutshell, The Killers haven’t killed it. Even though the lyrics are not that great, this album is still worth spending money on (or downloaded, if you are one of those) and it belongs in your car. You can imagine yourself driving in the desert in Nevada when you listen to this album. It’s magical, even though you will probably be stuck in traffic while listening to it. You will be transported in the “Silver State” in no time.

CD Review: The North

The North

On Sept. 4, the alternative Montreal-based music group Stars released their fifth album, The North, which can be easily described by two words: electro and love.

Stars is composed of Torquil Campbell, lead singer and songwriter, Amy Millan, singer and guitarist, Evan Cranley, bassist and guitarist, Chris Seligman, guitarist, and finally, Pat McGee, drummer. In this album of 12 tracks, Stars’ members combined their talent and created a sound comparable to the Icelander music group Of Monster and Men, but less upbeat and happy. 

Their songs talk mostly about love, which is a current theme throughout their previous albums. The slow-paced song sang by Millan, “Lights Changing Color,” has romantic lyrics such as “There’s a fire in your chest/ I see the flame/ They better watch it if they pick a fight/ Hold that fire when the day it comes/ It always comes,” which the fire can be related to love, and the power it has. 

“A Song Is A Weapon” also has interesting lyrics which talks about lies and betrayal in a relationship. “You are the one, you are the bullet in the chamber of the gun/ You are the long forgotten predator's son/ And you will be here ages after I'm gone/ I can only hope to kill you with a song” are powerful lyrics sung by Campbell, with an broken-heart voice. 

In most of their songs, Millan and Campbell sing the songs together. For instance, in the upbeat “Hold On When You Get Love And Let Go When You Give It” and the song “The Theory Of Relativity,” which can be compared to an electro song you would find on the soundtrack of the movie Drive, they alternate their voice between the verse and the chorus, and it creates an atmosphere of unison between the members of the group.

Overall, The North surpasses Stars’ fourth album, The Five Ghosts, and the lyrics are very inspiring. The songs don’t change much though, and someone wouldn’t be able to difference one song from another. That would come with time, of course, but more variety would have been nice, eh?
6/10

CD Review: La Marquise

On March 20, The Lost Fingers’ Christian Roberge, Byron Mikaloff and Alex Morrissette released their fourth gypsy jazz album La Marquise, and again, they successfully did covers of different francophone songs from here and elsewhere.

The Lost Fingers has this particularity of doing exclusively covers of well-known songs, in French as well as in English. They dig up songs that can be re-appreciated by a public who never heard them before. La Marquise is constituted of 13 covers of songs such as “Alors on danse” by Stromae, “1990” by Jean Leloup and “Joe le taxi” by Vanessa Paradis.

Mikaloff’s guitar, Morrissette’s double bass and Roberge’s guitar and voice make their covers unique and sometimes, their versions are better than the original songs. The way they jazz up the songs change the way you will listen to the songs. For example, in “1990”, as there’s no beat and the dance style of the song has been removed, you can concentrate more on the song’s lyrics and their meaning. It’s quite interesting.

The “Alors on danse” cover was very well done. First, Roberge’s voice catches the essence of the song: misery and stress. Second, you might expect less on them, but they will surprise you on how they brilliantly recreated this electro/pop song with their guitars.

Overall, it’s good, but somehow, their last three albums were much better and the songs were more popular than the one in this fourth album, which might have a great impact on your liking of La Marquise.

If you are interested, all their albums are available on iTunes. Tip: buy them all, even La Marquise. Although it’s not that great, it’s worth spending eight bucks on it. 

CD Review: The End Of That

On Feb. 28, the Montreal-based group Plants and Animals released their third album, The End of That, and as it turned out, it’s pretty much a mix between country and folk, with a touch of indie-rock. This album seems like coming out of the ‘65 and ‘75. It’s good, it’s soft and the guitar is just magnificent for your ears.

The album’s title represents a new beginning for the group. According to an interview for Voir Magazine, the group’s members each have their own problems in their personal life and decided that they will do an album to be proud of. 

If you are considering doing a road trip, this is the perfect album to bring with you.

Including 13 tracks, The End of That is like a wave: some songs are upbeat, and some are slower and calmer. “The End of That”, country song about a man who does coke and sees everything falling apart, “Song for Love”, an upbeat song and “Crisis!”, a song with a very catchy melody, are songs part of the new album.

The song “Lightshow” makes you listens closely to what the singer is saying. The melody is catchy and kind of depressive. The lyrics are well thought: “Dizzy in the morning / And I'm shaking in the afternoon / There's never no warning / When it's gonna hit”. It lets you think about the lyrics’ meaning.

In my opinion, Plants and Animals new CD reminds me of a mix between U2 and Coldplay. It makes you travel to California’s beaches, but also to Montreal and its white coat at the same time. It’s magic, and it makes you think.